Computer-Security Change Coming for Fall 2001
Published 05.13.2001
In Fall 2001, Pennsylvania College of Technology will implement a new procedure for using College-owned computers and for connecting to the campus network. Next fall, everyone ( students and employees) will be required to enter a user ID and password in order to access any shared resources, such as network printers, server storage space and the Internet, or to use some lab computers.
Currently, the College allows a generic user ID with no password ( e.g. STUDENT) to be used to access some of these resources. This generic STUDENT account no longer will be used starting Fall 2001. The College is making this change in order to increase the level of security for the campus computers and network, and to ensure that only authorized individuals are utilizing these resources.
While this change may not affect many employees because they already use their own user IDs to access the network, a lot of students who have been using the generic account now will need to use their own user IDs and passwords to gain access. All students have been assigned unique user IDs for the past three years, but not all have been using them. All new students for Fall 2001 will be mailed a unique user ID and password in late July or early August. All current students already were mailed a user ID and password. Any current student who is not actively using their user ID may want to try it and get any problems resolved before returning for fall classes.
Student E-mail Accounts
In past years, student e-mail accounts were cleared of all mail at the end of spring semester. This year, that procedure has changed and accounts no longer will be cleared. Student accounts will remain active until the student leaves the college. Accounts for graduates will not be removed until September, at the earliest.
Since there is a limit to the amount of mail an account may have, it is recommended that all students clean out old e-mails that no longer are needed and to unsubscribe from any e-mail list that you may have joined during the year to prevent your account from filling up over the summer.