ITS' electronic newsletter highlighting technology services & initiatives

New Helpdesk

Marking the ten-year anniversary of service to the campus, the ITS Helpdesk has been relocated and completely remodeled to better serve the campus community. The new Helpdesk area boasts a walk-up customer service desk, consulting area, and furnished waiting area complete with a literature rack and a television monitor. Manager Todd Rotroff and the Helpdesk staff invite you to stop by and check out the changes and say hello! The new Helpdesk is located in HSB110 which is right next door to the old Helpdesk.

Filtering Unwanted Mail
Microsoft Outlook can be configured to automatically sort all incoming email by using Rules, thus allowing unwanted email to be instantly sent to where you want [such as the junk email or deleted items folders]. To use this feature, right-click on an undesired email message and select "Create Rule". From there, simply check whom the mail is from and what folder you want it to go to [for example, Junk E-mail, Deleted Items].

If you use Outlook Web Access [Webmail] to manage your email, you can set filtering rules by selecting "Rules" from the Button Bar [on the left column] and then selecting "New…" from the menu bar. For assistance with setting email rules, please contact Technology Support Center.

Email Distribution Lists
We would like to bring to your attention the guidelines for using the campus email distribution lists. Distribution lists such as the Official Employee and Student Announcements, and the General Campus Announcements facilitate group communication by eliminating the need to enter individual email addresses when sending an email to a group. The guidelines and the descriptions for various distribution lists can be viewed at: UIS Email Distribution Lists.

Music and Video File Sharing
Although using Peer-to-Peer [P2P] file-sharing software is not illegal, its use for unauthorized downloading and uploading of copyrighted music and other material is a copyright infringement. The music industry is steadily expanding its' efforts against infringement through a variety of legal means. It should be obvious that downloading copyrighted music and video is illegal, and may result in legal prosecution with serious consequences. In addition, the process of sharing files may expose your computer to security risks, such as malicious spyware or damaging viruses.

Cable TV in Classrooms
We would like to remind all faculty and students that every classroom in UHB is equipped with 70-channel cable television. To access cable television, select VCR on the Crestron [the touch panel next to the computer] and then press the on button on the display. Use the channel up and channel down buttons on the VCR to select channels. We will soon have recording [DVR] capability and by fall of 2007 should have cable available in BRK and PAC classrooms as well. To check available programs and channels offered by the cable, please visit the Cable Television webpage.

Microsoft Vista Support
As noted previously, there is a number of support issues associated with the recently released MS Vista operating system. These include [but are not limited to] problems with: incompatible software, text editing in Blackboard, authenticating into the wireless network, and issues related to communication on the campus network. Although we are not requiring that you avoid using Vista, ITS continues to recommend Windows XP Professional as the operating system of choice for faculty, staff, and students PCs. If past Windows operating system releases are used as a benchmark, we expect Vista to be more stable and support friendly in six to nine months.

UIS IT Policies | ITS Strategic Plan