First Year Student FAQ

Can I get Microsoft Office through the college?

Yes. Microsoft Office 2016 is available for download through the Office 365 portal. To start the process, visit the link https://products.office.com/en-US/student  Enter your Holy Cross email address and select Student.  Please note, your Holy Cross subscription is free while enrolled at the College. Unlike G Suite for Education, Office 2016 and any saved files in Office 365 cloud will be disabled upon graduation.

How do I authorize my parent in STAR?

The Bursar's Office provided steps located on their web page at this link https://www.holycross.edu/bursars-office/billing-statements/what-students-need-do

How do my parents access the parent portal?

Students grant parents or other individual users access to the Parent Portal and TouchNet Bill+Payment using the electronic consent in STAR. Students must authorize this access using the following steps https://www.holycross.edu/bursars-office/billing-statements/what-students-need-do

Can I change my email address?

No. Student accounts are created first initial-middle initial and 4 letters of their last name, ending with their two digit class year.

What is my email account used for?

Your email account will be used to communicate with faculty, staff and students on campus. Please note, student email accounts use @g.holycross.edu while faculty and staff use @holycross.edu. Your email account will also be used to authenticate or pre-authenicate to several systems, such as STAR and Touchnet.

Can I make my passphrase shorter?

No. Minimum length is 14 characters and maximum characters is 30. For more information about passwords, please see this page https://www.holycross.edu/information-security/information-security-faculty-and-staff/passwords

Will I be receiving updates on this email for college preparation instead of my old email?

Yes. You will receive email from staff, including your class dean with instructions on preparing for the Fall, as well as other information throughout the year. 

What does the college offer for cable tv?

Charter Business offers high-quality digital TV service. TVs require a Digital QAM tuner to view the service. If a TV does not have a QAM tuner an error message will appear.

How do I program my TV to get these channels?

Most QAM tuner TV's have a "Channel Search" or "Auto Program" function that will automatically scan the incoming signals and detect the ones that are available. It may be necessary to do a channel search before your TV will allow you to tune to a specific channel.

  • Go into the TV Menu and select Set Up
  • Look for an option similar to “Channel Search” or “Auto Program” and select
  • The TV will automatically begin searching to identify all available channels​

After this auto search is completed, there will be 60 channels available for viewing (if the TV has an internal QAM tuner). If no channels are available, it is likely the TV does not have a QAM tuner.

I can’t remember my passphrase, what do I do now?

The Holy Cross passphrase reset portal is located at http://apps.holycross.edu/password/. You may change your Gmail passphrase or your Network passphrase from this page. Please make sure to set your challenge questions and answers, otherwise the Forgot Passphrase feature will not work.

How do I connect my laptop to the WiFi?

To connect your computer to WiFi, select the HCWireless from the WiFi list. Log in using your network username and passphrase (STAR login)  Please note if you reset your network passphrase, you will need to use the Forget Network on the device. Then add the connection back using your updated passphrase.  For detailed information see the Wireless Network Access page.

Can I bring my windows or mac laptop?

Yes, you may bring either. We provide support for both operating systems, including Chromedevices. For more detailed information please the Hardware Recommendation section on the First Year Student page  

Where can I get help with my computer?

The ITS Help Desk can provide assistance with troubleshooting a wide range of issues.  We provide full support for WiFi and network connectivity.  

Can I get help after the help desk closes?

During the academic year, student computer consultants will be available after hours. Their location and schedule can be found here http://holycross.edu/its-help-desk/student-technology

What is the best web browser to use on campus?

All our services are web based. We highly recommend installing Firefox and Chrome web browsers.

For additional software resources and recommendations, please visit http://holycross.edu/information-security/students

Do I need to bring a printer?

No. There are several locations on campus that allow to use their laptops to print for free. You may purchase a printer for your room, however it should be set up using the USB connection. Students can print to public printers, visit this page for more information https://goo.gl/tdjzai