New Students Start Here!
Welcome (or welcome back) to Benedictine University! This document provides information on the various technology resources available to you as a student. Should you have any questions, see each listing for possible specialized support options. You can also open a support ticket for assistance with technology-related issues.
And, on behalf of the Information Technology department, best wishes for your studies.
Step 1 – Know your "B Number" (student number)
At Benedictine, we refer to your student number as your "B Number". This number, which will be given to you by the Admissions department, is the letter 'b' followed by a unique seven-digit number and identifies you at Benedictine.
Step 2 – Know your student user account
Your email address is your B Number with @ben.edu appended to it. For example, b1234567@ben.edu. Your full user account consists of your email address and password, which you will set up in the next step.
Step 3 – Create your student user account
Once you have registered (matriculated), you will receive a welcome email from the Benedictine IT department with instructions on how to claim your student user account. The email, which will be sent to the personal email address you used with your application, will have the subject Welcome to Benedictine and will come from Account@ben.edu.
If you haven't received this email after matriculation, please make sure you check your spam filters and junk folders. We recommend that you add the ben.edu to your email white list.
The instructions in the welcome email will walk you through claiming your student user account by creating your password and setting up Multifactor Authentication (MFA), which is required to secure your account. Because our student user accounts are linked with the Microsoft 365 service, the instructions in the email take you to a webpage managed by Microsoft. This webpage hosts Microsoft’s Self Service Password Reset (SSPR) tool, which you'll use to both create your password and set up MFA.
Enrolling in these mandatory services goes a long way in protecting your account from compromise (identity theft, hacking, etc.).
Please follow these requirements while creating your student user account password.
Step 4 – Access your email
After you've completed setting up your account, log into your email. Open a browser and go to http://webmail.ben.edu and login. Benedictine University uses email for official correspondence, so please check your email, including your junk or spam folders, regularly.
You can setup your mobile device to connect to your email account.
Step 5 – Setup your BCard
Benedictine is moving toward mobile credentials and our own digital currency called BBuck$. Full details on how to download the app and set up your account can be found here.
Now that you've completed the basics, please review the following for even more technology-related information and resources.
Acceptable Use of Technology Resources Policy
All usage of Benedictine University technology resources, including network services (both wired and wireless), computers, and technology services (e.g., email, MyBenU, D2L) is governed by the Acceptable Use of Technology Resources policy.
BenAlert
The BenAlert emergency notification system enables students, faculty and staff to receive alerts and notifications within minutes by phone, text and/or e-mail messages regarding emergency situations affecting Benedictine University. See this page for more information.
Computer Recommendation
See this page for computer recommendations for students.
Discounted Computer Hardware and Software
Most computer manufacturers, including Apple, Dell, Lenovo, etc., offer student discounts. See this page for additional information.
D2L
Login to D2L at https://ben.desire2learn.com/d2l/login with your Benedictine email address and password
D2L (aka Desire to Learn, or Brightspace) is Benedictine’s learning management system. It is used for most online classes and as an online supplement to in-person classes.
Assistance is provided 24x7 from D2L. Call D2L support at 877-325-7778.
All students are provided with a Benedictine email address, ending in @ben.edu. Email service is provided by Microsoft M365.
To help protect you and your email accounts, you are required to enroll in the Self-Service Password Reset and Multi-Factor Authentication services.
If you forgot your password, follow these instructions to reset it.
As part of your email account, you have access to online Office programs as well as free Office downloads.
For assistance, call the Help Desk, 630-829-6684, or email helpdesk@ben.edu (if emailing from a non-Benedictine address, include your name, Ben email address, and callback number).
Engage
Engage is used by some classes as the online learning system. For support, call 866-291-1166 or send an email to benhelp@wileyeducationservices.com
Help Desk
Benedictine University has a Help Desk to support staff and students with their daily technology needs. You can contact the Help Desk in three ways:
- Open a support ticket by going to https://helpdesk.ben.edu (preferred method)
- Call 630/829.6684 (after hours calls are answered by a third-party)
- Come to the Help Desk located in room 228 in Kindlon Hall (the room is currently closed for walk ins until Fall of 2022)
Library Electronic Resources
The Benedictine University library offers online access to many electronic resources. See this page for more information and support.
MyBenU
MyBenU is where you can access your schedule, pay your bill, register for classes and more.
Walk-throughs and more information are available here: http://www.ben.edu/information-technology/enterprise/mybenu92info.cfm
Note that if you were a student but have not been enrolled in the past three semesters your account has been disabled. For copies of transcripts, contact the Registrar's Office at 630-829-6349 or registrars@ben.edu.
If you have questions about your schedule, grades, etc., contact the Registrar’s Office for assistance. For login support, contact the Help Desk, helpdesk@ben.edu.
Do your parents or guardians need to log in to pay your bill or set up a payment plan?
Students are able to set up authorized users (a person you select to give access to your financial information) through MyBenU. After logging into MyBenU and clicking on Make a Payment, you will be redirected to the TouchNet homepage. On the homepage, click on Authorized Users and follow the onscreen instructions. You can also remove access from an authorized user at any time. The user will have access to financial information only, not any academic records such as grades. The authorized user will have their own link and login information to view account statements, make payments, and set up payment plans.
Setting up an authorized user does not grant them FERPA permissions.
OneDrive
OneDrive is included as part of your Benedictine email account. You have 1TB of storage space on OneDrive. OneDrive is useful for file storage, the sharing of files, and online collaboration. You can learn more about OneDrive at Microsoft’s Office Help and Training site, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office
Printing
Every current student receives a $50 credit at the beginning of Fall and Spring semesters to use for printing. There is no rollover, so credits get reset each semester. This credit is loaded into the print system and is available on the first day of classes. You can release print jobs at a printer by swiping your student ID card or entering your username and password. Once the credit is exhausted you can add more money to your account using the link above. More information on printing, including how to print from a mobile device, is available here.
Residence Halls Internet and Television
Lisle Campus
Internet and television service in the residence halls is provided by Xfinity. Upon move-in you will receive login and setup instructions. Please contact Xfinity 844-790-6935 or xfinitycommunities.support@epproach.net for support.
Mesa Campus
Mesa campus Internet and television service for Alhambra is provided by Pavlov Media. Pavlov has recently taken over from Korcett. Support information will be provided here soon.
Software
As a current student, you can download and install Microsoft Office for free. You also qualify for discounted pricing for software from Varsity Buys. You can access Varsity buys here: http://www.varsitybuys.com
SPSS is available for free for home academic use
Information on other software and hardware discounts is available here.
Wireless
Wireless Internet is provided throughout the Lisle and Mesa campuses. The wireless network you should connect to is EAGLENET (in Lisle) and REDHAWKNET (in Mesa). Select the appropriate network on your device. When you connect, enter your Benedictine username and password. If you have guests, do not share your credentials. Instead, ask them to connect to EAGLENET-GUEST (in Lisle) or REDHAWKNET-GUEST (in Mesa). They will need to register and then will gain access to the wireless network.
See this page for the separate residence hall Internet network.
More information on wireless service is available here.
Zoom
Every student has a Zoom licensed (Pro) account. This account allows you to schedule and host meetings, share your video and screen, and record meetings to your computer (cloud recording is not available with the student license).
The Zoom help center https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us offers additional videos, FAQs, and information on all topics related to Zoom.