Set up your Question and Answer Pairs on or before Tuesday, February 7
Dear Faculty and Staff:
Beginning after hours on Tuesday February 7, all faculty, staff, and students must have four question and answer pairs set up in the Malone password management system. If you have not already done so, you will need to set up your four question and answer pairs in our password management system before you will be able to sign in to any online services including:
- Malone Xpress
- Online Learning
- others…
Many of you have already done this back in the fall. This change will not impact you if your question and answers are already set up.
Proceed to https://userid.malone.edu/manage to check or set up your question and answer pairs.
We encourage anyone who is not sure that they have already set up their question and answer pairs to go to the web site above and do this prior to the cut off date. This is especially important for those of you who teach in the classroom and online. Make sure you aren’t caught having to set these up at the beginning of a class you are teaching.
How do I know this isn’t a phishing email and you aren’t just trying to get my password?
It is a good question to ask before clicking a link sent to you in email. There are several ways to check whether a link in an email is legitimate. In this case, you can 1) float your mouse over the link and make sure that the address that appears matches the address listed. Pay special attention to the part of the link immediately preceding the .com or .edu part of the address, for example: google.com is good but google.xyz.com is not good. You could also copy and paste the address into your web browser or manually type it in, making sure that you are visiting the place you want to visit.
Wireless Changes Made Over Break
Hello Faculty, Staff, and Students:
Thank you to the 130 of you who took the wireless survey. You have made your voice heard. You can view the results of the survey in a previous blog entry here. Our networking team made several changes to our wireless as a result of your input. These changes are summarized here:
Administrative and Academic Buildings
The users who responded to the wireless survey helped identify four areas on campus where the WiFI coverage was inconsistent. Those areas were:
- Founder Hall North
- Mitchell Hall First Floor
- Regula Hall First Floor
- Cattell Library Lower Level
We installed additional WiFi equipment in those areas and re-tuned the existing equipment so WiFI coverage was more consistent.
Residence Halls
Radio interference from non-WiFi devices in the Residence Halls continues to be an issue (poorly shielded microwave ovens, cordless phones operating in the 2.4GHz and 5.1GHz spectrum, e.g., non DECT 6.0 compliant telephones, etc.). The Woolman-Whittier-Fox building cluster (WWF) reported the largest number of issues. We continue to identify those non-WiFi devices and have them removed. This will be on-going process as devices come and go on campus.
Individuals
Several survey respondents requested that they be contacted directly with specific issues that they have experienced. We have responded back to those clients and have resolved many or all of their concerns
Questions about Wireless on Campus?
Please visit our Wifi FAQ188.
Or… you can contact the IT Help Desk. We can be reached via email at helpdesk AT malone DOT edu , via the web at http://www.malone.edu/helpdesk or by phone at 330.471.8428.
Wireless Survey Preliminary Results
Hello Students, Faculty, and Staff:
We have preliminary results of the wireless survey and are sharing them with you now! You have until this Thursday to add your voice. Sign into Xpress to complete the survey and help make wireless as best as it can be on campus!
We have followed up directly with several students and staff members who asked us to contact them and have already resolved a couple problems as a result! Thank you to those who have already responded!
Wireless Survey for Students, Faculty, and Staff available
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
From now through December 15, we are asking Malone students, faculty, and staff to complete a survey about the campus wireless infrastructure.
To participate, sign in to Malone Xpress and check the announcements in your student, faculty, or staff tab!
Transition Information for Graduating Seniors Fall 2011
Dear Seniors, especially those of you who are graduating this fall:
As several of you convert from “Active Student” to Alumni status, we would like to inform you of a few things you should keep in mind. Use the table of contents below to access the items relevant to you.
Let us be some of the first people to welcome you to the Malone alumni family, a group that numbers over 18,000 that lives and ministers in locations all over the world. Always remember you are now and forever Pioneers!
Blessings to you as you go out and serve the Church, Community, and World.
Sincerely,
Deb Robinson, Director of Alumni & Parent Relations, University Office of Advancement
Adam Klemann, Technology Services Coordinator, Information Technologies
Kris Owens, Reference/Systems Librarian, Malone University Library
In this Message:
- Transitioning to Alumni Status
- Alumni Benefits
- Alumni News
- Alumni Events
- Updating your Contact Information with the Alumni Office
- Download the free Malone U Alumni App!
- Helping Malone Grow
- Information Technologies Transition Info
- How long will I be able to sign into my account?
- More information on your alumni email account
- Purchase software & hardware using your student discount!
- Library Resources
Transitioning to Alumni Status
Welcome, Class of 2011!
The Malone Alumni Association is a non-dues paying group. All graduates of Malone and those who have attended for at least one year are automatically enrolled as members. Below you will find some of the services and benefits you retain as alumni of Malone University!
Deb Robinson
Director of Alumni & Parent Relations
Alumni Benefits
- Alumni are welcome to use the Wellness Center. You may sign up at the Center for a one-time processing fee of $25.
- Alumni are welcome to use the Cattell Library for free during business hours (see more information in the Library section below).
- Free use of Alumni Career Services and access to our online Career Development & Job Search resources.
- 20% discount at the Malone Bookstore during Homecoming Weekend
- Insurance Discount: Some insurance providers offer a discount if you belong to an alumni association. We will send a letter of confirmation for you.
- Group rate tickets when attending Malone Alumni and Friends trips to sporting events, concerts, museums, zoos and other attractions. Have an event idea? Let us know!
Alumni News
(Emails and Magazines you should expect to see if we have a current email and mailing address for you)
- The monthly “Malone Moment” e-newsletter with news about Malone including guest speakers, Worldview Forums, clubs and athletic teams. Also includes news about campus changes, alumni events and travel opportunities. Sign up for the e-newsletter from the Malone Alumni page!
- The award winning Malone Magazine is published three times annually. To make sure you receive the Malone Magazine, make sure we have your correct address information here!
- We want to hear news about you! Send us your wedding and baby announcements or news about your career and graduate studies. Be sure to send Pictures! These will be shared with your fellow alumni in the magazine and online at www.malone.edu/alumni.
Alumni Events
- Come back for Homecoming Weekend on October 19 & 20, 2012 and every year!
- Watch your mailbox for the 3rd Annual Malone Mix coming in May, 2012 in the Hoover Dining Commons. Connect with other young alumni by speed networking, door prizes such as VIP passes for 2 to the Fawcett Stadium press box during a home game, area business gift cards, gift certificates to the Malone Bookstore, and more.
Updating your Contact Information with the Alumni Office
- Please stop by our office near the fountain in the Johnson Center for your free MU Alumni window decal and mug and to fill out an Exit Survey. These surveys help us know what teams/groups/activities you participated in. If you cannot come by in person, the form will be sent you by email. We will keep you posted about news and reunions for each group you note.
- WE want to keep in touch with YOU and we want YOU to keep in touch with US! You can update your contact information online here.
Download the free Malone U Alumni App!
- The alumni association provides this free app which gives you humorous real world tips on everything from engagement rings, insurance, loans, taxes, business dress and etiquette to retirement plans and keeps you up-to-date with all things Malone.
- You can download MU Cribsheet by searching for “Malone University” in your preferred app store or by visiting http://www.mycribsheet.com/malone
Helping Malone Grow
- U.S.News and World Report Best Colleges and other publications look at the alumni giving % to determine their rankings. A “Best Colleges” listing helps Malone with student recruitment and with receiving grants and funds from foundations.
- Each year, we ask alumni to support The Malone Fund. As our newest graduates, we realize that your funds may be limited. A gift of just $10, $5 or even $1 allows us to put you in the “donor” category and increases our % of alumni participation.
- We will ask for your support at different times of the year each time offering a different thank you gift such as a t-shirt, mug, pen or book. We will be most grateful if you participate with a gift of any size at least once annually. Thank you!
Information Technologies Transition Info
Here are some of the cleanup items you may want to complete as well as information about how long you will retain access to which services.
How long will I be able to sign into my account?
While your email account will remain active in perpetuity, access to Malone Xpress and other on-campus resources (print balance, signing in to lab computers with your student account, H drive storage) will cease 4-6 months after the end of your last semester. Before this happens, there are a few things you may want to do:
- Download an “unofficial transcript” from Xpress: You can download an “unofficial” transcript from Malone Xpress after your final grades have been posted. Official transcripts can always be requested at any time from the Office of the Registrar using the information found here.
- Retrieve contents of your H drive using remote access: Instructions for accessing your H drive remotely are located in FAQ140.
More information on your alumni email account
- How long will my @malone.edu email address stay active?
As long as it is being actively checked (at least once every six months), your malone.edu email account will remain active. If your account becomes inactive and you would like to reactivate it or if you need assistance with accessing your email account, you can contact the IT Help Desk at 330.471.8428. - Your alumni email account is accessed exactly the same way your existing account it accessed from the MX badge on the malone.edu home page for directly at https://userid.malone.edu/mxmail .
- If you would like to forward your malone.edu email to another address, you can follow the procedure listed here. Remember that even if you choose to forward your email, you will still lose access to the account if you do not log in at least once every six months.
Purchase software & hardware using your student discount!
University students are eligible for significant discounts on software. While you are still a student, you may want to take advantage of these discounts:
- Adobe Products such as Photoshop, Creative Suite, Illustrator, etc. can be purchased with a student discount from softmart.com. You will need to create an account using your @malone.edu email address.
- Microsoft Office can be purchased from cdwg.com/malone at a significant discount.
- Links and additional information for software and hardware discounts are located in FAQ96.
Library Resources
As a new alumnus or alumna, you retain access to many of the library resources you had when you were a student. The role of the library is changing everyday with new and exciting innovations. You can stop at the circulation desk after graduation to register for your alumni card.
We now have LibGuides, or Library Guides, accessible from the new library homepage. They include information on a variety of subjects as well as on library resources including patron specific topics.
Also, please go toMalone University Library on Facebook and LIKE us. There you will be apprised of new additions to the library as well as events the library sponsors throughout the semester.
The library staff will always be there to assist you. Feel free to contact us by phone at 330.471.8317, e-mail reference@malone.edu or via online chat on the library web page, if you have any questions or concerns.
Long Distance Codes and Departmental Bill Back for Long Distance
Dear Faculty & Staff:
On Tuesday, October 25 after 5pm, we will be converting the way in which we bill back for long distance calling. You will notice two major changes in how you enter your long distance code.
Your code will change
The new system requires that we use 4 digits instead of 3. You will use the same code as you used before except that you will add a leading zero to it.
Example: If your code was previously ‘123,’ then your new code will be ‘0123’
The prompt will change
If you have made a long distance call before, you will know that the prompt says, “Please enter your account code followed by pound.” This will no longer be the case. When you need to enter a long distance code, you will now hear two beeps in quick succession. The onscreen display of your phone will say “Enter Authorization Code.” When you hear the beeps, you will enter your four-digit code and then press the ‘#’ (pound) key.
Explanation: Why are we making this change?
Our current Long Distance provider is no longer supporting the system which prompts us for our account codes at a reasonable long distance per minute rate. We have been able to negotiate a better rate from another carrier however their systems cannot support the same long distance code prompting.
By in-sourcing this service, we are preventing our long distance bills from roughly doubling for the same amount of minutes. We can also leverage bulk minute purchase rates from multiple carriers to ensure that our costs stay low in the future.
Departments being billed back for long-distance minutes will not see any change in the method in which this is completed.
Please contact the IT Help Desk if you have any questions or issues. We can be reached via email at helpdesk AT malone.edu , via the web at http://www.malone.edu/helpdesk or by phone at 330.471.8428.
Classroom Technology Etiquette Reminders
Hello Faculty/Staff,
It’s that time again, and while I’m no Emily Post, I do need to remind you of a few guidelines that will help keep our classroom technology in the best operation possible for all to utilize and enjoy.
A) Turn off the projector : When you are finished with your class period, please shut down the A/V system!
Please note: Leaving the projector on “black screen” is not the same as shutting down. You must go through the proper system off process for the room you are using.
Click here or read on for reasons why.
Click here to review classroom A/V system instructions.
B) Log out of the Computer : When you are finished with your class period, please log off the classroom PC.
Staying logged in will cause the computer to become locked. The next faculty member will need to physically power down the PC and wait for it to reboot, which wastes valuable class time.
C) Clean up after yourself : If you unplug or reconfigure anything, please ensure that you return everything to its original state when you are finished with your class period.
Most of the time, everyone expects the technology to “just work.” This is what we all hope and aim for. Leaving items unplugged or plugging them back in improperly necessitates time & effort to troubleshoot the system and, again, wastes valuable class time.
Please be considerate of your fellow faculty and staff and follow these few simple practices. Adherence to these principles will greatly minimize the frustrations of fellow faculty and staff and also help Media Services to effectively and efficiently steward Malone’s technology resources. Thank you very much.
-Media Services
What’s the big deal? Why do I need to shut down?
Reason 1: Failure to shut down the system properly could cause the equipment to get out of sync and function improperly. Most of the programming for the control systems relies on feedback from the projectors. After prolonged periods of inactivity, the projector will automatically shut down, but the control system may still think the projector is on. We have begun to try to add programming to detect for this condition, but it’s not a perfect science and doesn’t always catch the proper signals (and can be avoided altogether by proper shut down of the systems.)
The remedy for this condition is usually to go through the shut down process for the A/V system and/or physically power cycle the projector, which brings the equipment back into sync with each other.
Reason 2:
Projector lamps are not the same as typical light bulbs. While your average CFL bulb costs a few dollars and lasts for many years, our average projector lamps cost around $400 and last only 2000 hours. Leaving those lamps burning for an empty classroom is a waste of a costly resource. Please help us to steward our technology wisely.
We have also taken further initiatives to make better use of these resources. We continue to try to purchase lamps from reliable resellers at discounted rates and have also invested in new projectors that use hybrid laser/LED technology to create light elements that last for up to 20,000 hours in comparison to the typical 2,000.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and again for keeping these items in mind as you utilize our classroom technology resources.
Microsoft Office 2010 in Classrooms, Offices, and at Home
Dear Faculty, Staff, & Students:
This post is dedicated to all things Office. Students, faculty, and staff should tune into the following areas:
Faculty & Staff:
- Classrooms will be patched (including office 2010) over fall break, October 20-21.
- Work-At-Home licensing for Microsoft Office is now available for Faculty and Staff.
- Installing Office 2010 (or Mac 2011) on your office laptop or desktop.
- Common questions about transitioning from 2007 to 2010.
Students
- Where can purchase office at a significant discount?
Office 2010 to be installed in all classrooms over fall break
During fall break the IT department plans to patch and upgrade all classroom computers. This patching will include updates to the latest versions of Firefox, Flash, Internet Explorer, etc. as well as upgrading Microsoft Office to 2010.
Please let us know if you have loaded any specialized software in any of the classrooms. We have tracked most of these installations however there may have been some that were never documented.
Work-at-Home copies of Office 2010 (and 2011) available to employees
Our campus license allows employees of the University to install and utilize Microsoft Office 2010 on one home computer for University business purposes. There are five copies of the installer that can be checked out from the IT Help Desk in the lower level of Cattell Library. You must sign a waiver form (you can download and sign ahead of time if you choose) if you want to install office.
There is a similar set of discs available for Mac Office (version 2011). If you use an Apple computer at home, be sure to specify when you come to pick up the disc.
If you are running Windows 7, you will probably need to install the 64bit version of Office. The checkout DVD contains both the 32bit version (for Windows XP) as well as the 64bit version (for some Windows Vista and most Windows 7 machines). The disc contains instructions in case you encounter problems installing office. In some cases, the old version of Office will need to be manually removed.
Installing Office 2010 (or 2011) on your office computer
Please contact the IT Help Desk if you are ready to upgrade your office computer to Office 2010. This will be done over the network. Your machine will be unavailable during the installation and the process takes from 20-40 minutes (we recommend you reboot at the end of the day or during your lunch hour).
Faculty and staff who use an Apple computer can be upgraded to Office 2011 over the network as well. Please contact the IT Help Desk to initiate the upgrade.
Common questions regarding upgrading from Office 2007 to Office 2010:
Will Office 2007 documents open up in Office 2010?: Yes.
Will Office 2010 documents open up in Office 2007?: In most cases, however some files which use features found in 2010 but not 2007 may look different when opened up with Office 2007.
The office.com web site has lots of resources for newly transitioned users.
I am a student, can I get Microsoft Office 2010 (or 2011)?
While it is not covered under our campus agreement, students can get a significant discount when purchasing Microsoft Office. Visit cdwg.com/malone to check out pricing and purchase Office. It is also available for order from our campus bookstore.
Phish & Spam and various other foul tasting email
Hello Malone Students, Faculty, & Staff:
The campus email services continue to be pummeled by spam and phishing attempts. Roughly 80% of incoming email the campus receives is spam and gets filtered out before it even hits your inbox.
Inevitably some of this canned-meat goodness does make it through. Here is what to do when it does.
What is Spam?
Spam is a general term meant to refer to unwanted junk email. Innocuous spam comes in the form of advertisements, links to catalogs or web sites.
What is Phishing?
Blatently copied from Wikipedia on 29 Sept 2011: Phishing is a way of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. This is similar to Fishing, where the fisherman puts a bait at the hook, thus, pretending to be a genuine food for fish. But the hook inside it takes the complete fish out of the lake. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail spoofing or instant messaging,[1] and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to deceive users,[2] and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies.[3] Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.
A phishing technique was described in detail in 1987, and the first recorded use of the term “phishing” was made in 1996. The term is a variant of fishing,[4] probably influenced by phreaking,[5] [6] and alludes to “baits” used in hopes that the potential victim will “bite” by clicking a malicious link or opening a malicious attachment, in which case their financial information and passwords may then be stolen.
A couple recent examples of Phishing attempts:
From this morning (29 September 2011):
-----Original message----- From: "sales1@malone.edu" <sales1@malone.edu> To: redacted Sent: Thu, Sep 29, 2011 03:54:59 GMT+00:00 Subject: Re: FW: End of Aug. Statement Reqiured Good day, as reqeusted I give you inovices issued to you per sept. Download Invoice<http://lstwegerhggcgfhyi.madfydsfad03.com/main.php?page=a6522d5fb2c53e2e> Regards TORY SPANN
And another from a last week:
From: Western Union transfer is available for withdrawl [manager@westernunion.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 4:41 AM To: <redacted> Subject: Western Union transfer is available for withdrawl Dear customer. The amount of money transfer: 5130 USD. Money is available to withdrawl. You may find the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) and receiver's details on Western Union website (click on the link below): MTCN.pdf http://www.westernunion.com. Western Union. Customer Service.
You can tell that the above are phishing attempts in a couple ways:
- You were very likely not expecting an email regarding an end of month statement or a Western Union money transfer
- In the former, it is from a bogus email address (this is not always the case but in this example it is).
- The source for the download does not match the sender or even a well-known source. The second email is tricky. It mixes legitimate links in with not-legitimate ones. You would have been infected or dup’ed when you tried to download the “MCTN.pdf” file. The westernunion.com link was legitimate.
- There are obvious spelling and or grammatical errors (The former has them, the latter does not).
Tips for sending messages so your recipients to not think your message is spam:
- If you attach a document, make sure you tell them that you are attaching the document and perhaps offer a brief description of the contents.
- If sending links, stick to well-known web sites or clarify if the sites are not.
What do I do?
- If you can tell it is spam or a phishing attempt, you can discard the message. Do not click any of the links.
- If you are getting a lot of Spam, let the IT Help Desk know
- If you are not sure whether an email message is legitimate, you can contact the help desk or even forward it to helpdesk AT malone DOT edu.
New Single-Sign-On and Password Reset System set to go live on Tuesday, August 23 at 8am
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
On Wednesday, August 17, 2011 Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 8:00 am a new Malone single sign-on and password management system will be put into place. The maximum interruption to online services (e.g. Xpress, Online Learning, mxMail, etc.) would be 3 hours (however the actual outage should be much shorter 10-30 minutes). In the event of a problem, we will revert to the current production systems.
Here is what you need to know
- When you first log on to an online service all students, faculty, and staff must set up their security questions again.
- If your password is expired or locked out, the new system will give you a new and better level of self-service.
- All username and password management services will continue to be located at https://userid.malone.edu
- New students, faculty, and staff can use the new system to figure out their Malone username and password.
What do I have to do?
Nothing prior to the change.
After the transition is complete you will need to re-setup your security questions.
Faculty & Staff: If you provide any documentation to your students regarding signing in to Malone online services, there will be minimal differences between the old and new systems. The documentation you already provide will be extremely close if not still accurate. We recommend waiting until after the transition is complete before rewriting your documentation. If you would like to preview the system, please contact the Help Desk to arrange a demo.
Why are we making the change?
The new system will provide greater ease of use to our students, faculty, and staff in addition to better redundancy and security. The new system was built so that it can service the needs of the university for the future. Our current systems have been in place for over six years and have served us well. They are based on older technology and have become increasingly susceptible to hacking and failures.
Additional Features
The new system will allow new students, faculty, and staff to find their username and password. It will also give better indications of what the problem might be if there is a problem an account.
Please contact the IT Help Desk if you have any questions or issues. We can be reached on the web at http://www.malone.edu/helpdesk or by phone at 330.471.8428.