eGCC Account Information

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you suggest good password practices?

Having accounts and networked resources linked so they require only one password is a mixed blessing. It allows users to move easily between different environments.  Although this increases productivity,  it also means that all those accounts are more vulnerable if users don't practice good password habits. DON'T SHARE YOUR PASSWORD, as you are responsible for all activity on your Account. Keeping your password confidential also protects any saved files and email on your H: Drive.

A good password is:

• A combination of letters and numbers that cannot be found in a dictionary
• More than 6 characters long
• Easy to type and remember
• Not associated with personal information about you, such as: your name, occupation, telephone number, student ID number, address or birthdate.

• Don't share your password with anyone, including your spouse, parents, siblings, significant other, secretary, boss, or co-worker. There are many other ways to share files.
• Change your password regularly. You can change your password from a web page off-site if you know your old one.
• Don't write your password on a Post-it and stick it on your monitor or any other easily accessible location.
• Don't save your password as part of an automatic login script if anyone else has access to your computer.
• If you must write your password down in order to remember it, describe it rather than record it. For example, you could write down "city+day" if you moved to Phoenix on May 7th and your password were "Ph57nix".

Having said all this, there is no totally secure password. Don't leave a computer that is logged in to your account unattended, especially in a public area. Log out completely when you are finished working.

Applications such as Microsoft Word are accessible only on eGCC workstations.  eGCC workstations,available to anyone with an active eGCC account, are located in GCC’s three open labs; High Tech 1, High Tech2, and the Library Computer Commons.

Note: Employees and faculty, information for workstation secure access to your eGCC environment from home is available through Training and Employee Development, (623) 845-3485.

Can I customize my account settings? And, what is a Roaming Profile?

Yes. If you work on a Windows computer, you can customize many elements of the desktop and Office applications. On both platforms, you can customize many settings in Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. These settings will be saved in your Roaming Profile, and stored in your personal storage space on the network. These settings and your documents will be accessible to you when you log in to your eGCC Account from any eGCC workstation. A few settings will save across platforms.

In most cases, your changes will be saved automatically when you logout of your account. Settings are retained from semester to semester; if you want the latest defaults, restore your account to the default settings.

For students, eGCC accounts expire at the end of the drop-add period of the semester following the last one in which a student was enrolled. For example, a "Summer Session" is considered to be a semester, so Spring accounts expire one week after the First Summer Session drop/add period ends. Accounts of students in Open Entry-Open Exit classes will expire when the student receives a grade, unless he or she has been granted an extension.
For GCC employees and faculty, eGCC accounts are expired as part of the “exit procedure”

eGCC users with expired accounts will not be able to log in to read mail, access files, or update their web pages. Incoming email to your eGCC Email address (eGCCUsername@student.gc.maricopa.edu) will be returned to the sender.
Your files and preferences will remain on the servers (but will be inaccessible) for six (6) months after the account has expired or after the last access. At that time, files will be removed from the servers.

Can I still use my eGCC Account if I'm not a GCC employee, faculty member or a student?

Yes, you may register for non-credit access to eGCC by asking for a "Palette Account" (NC 500  0265) at the GCC Enrollment Center. The fee for this service is $25 for the semester. There is a small time span between registration and account activation.