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ARTICLES
University Data Network Refresh to Begin This Fiscal Year
OIT has developed a long term plan for refreshing the university's network infrastructure. The purpose of this initiative is to make the infrastructure current and modern, so that OIT can deliver more state-of-the-art technology services to the university community.
Full article
Ruckus
Now Available to University Employees
In early summer 2007, the University of Maryland joined
the University System of Maryland in a multi-institution agreement to
offer Ruckus Network, Inc.’s digital entertainment service to faculty,
staff, and students. Full article
Need
IT Help? Call the Help Desk!
OIT is working to consolidate all of its customer service
numbers to the OIT Help Desk. Full article
UM
Joins Kuali Project to Develop New Administrative Software System
In late 2006, the University of Maryland became one of
the founding members of the community source Kuali Student Service System,
a consortium of higher education institutions developing a next generation
student information system. Full article
ELMS
in 2008 (Powered by Blackboard)
For this academic year, the
university’s Enterprise Learning Management System (ELMS) has improved
to help “enhance learning for Maryland students.” Some of
the enhancements are new tools that allow for synchronous voice and video
communication with your students.
Full article
Forwarding
to External E-mail Accounts
While any e-mail address
you enter into ARES as your primary account will be the one the university
will use for all of its e-mail communications to you, please note that
forwarding university e-mail to external e-mail services sometimes causes
transmission delays, dropped messages, and other delivery problems due
to policies enacted by the external e-mail provider. Full article
Illegal
File Sharing Is More Than Just Child's Play
Access to very high-speed
Internet connectivity is just one of the many advantages available to
many of the university’s employees. It allows researchers to collaborate
with their colleagues at other institutions, provides quick access to
resources from our vendors, and rapidly delivers a world of reference
materials to our desks.Some employees have discovered that this resource can also be used to
quickly obtain and share copyrighted material such as songs, movies, and
television programs without the permission of the copyright holder.
Full article
OIT Help Desk Now Offering Windows Vista Support
The OIT Help Desk has added support for the Windows Vista operating system. Full article
University-wide Course Evaluation Pilot This Fall
Are you interested in improving your teaching techniques? Would you appreciate
feedback from current students that could potentially help you to increase student
satisfaction? The new campus-wide online course evaluation system may provide
you with a resource for just such information. Full article
Online Effort Reporting Improves the Business Process
Faculty and staff members who work on sponsored projects are probably quite
familiar with the paper Effort Reports that they are required to complete up
to three times each year. Now, these reports are more accessible, and the effort
reporting process is more streamlined, thanks to OIT partnering with the Office
of the Comptroller to move the effort reporting process online. Full article
Security Certificates
When visiting some university Web sites, I get messages
warning that the site is not a trusted site. What should I do? Full article
You've Heard It All Before
You’ve reached a university colleague’s voice mailbox and simply
want to leave a quick message. You’re listening to their personal greeting,
a message you’ve heard countless times before, waiting for that elusive
beep. Here’s a tip for you. Full article
Get Your Hands on a Mac
Have you ever considered switching your PC labs to Mac labs running OS X and
Windows? Are you interested in testing your new applications in a Mac environment?
Are you curious what all the excitement surrounding the Mac is about? You now
have a resource to find out.
Full article
News
from ACT and the Terrapin Technology Store
This summer, OIT’s
Academic Computers for Terps (ACT) program completed a successful first
year of operation, during which it saved the university community more
than $1.8 million over and above regular educational discounts! The ACT
program’s second year brings updated systems and continued lower
prices, offering even better value in your computer purchase, in addition
to a new storefront location. Full article
Discounted Software for the University Community from OIT Software Licensing
OIT Software Licensing is an on-campus resource for obtaining software at an
educational discount. The majority of the software titles are offered for departmental
use; however, there are some that are available for personal computers as well.
Full article
Success
of the Research Data Center Co-Location Continues to Grow
Less than one year ago, OIT began offering space to house
research computers, and demand for that space continues to grow.
Full article
OIT Makes Significant Progress on Wireless Expansion
This year, OIT has been extending the physical scope of the university’s
wireless network by installing wireless access points in residence halls
and expanding coverage in other campus locations. Full article
Sign Up for UMD Alert for Emergency Notices
The University of Maryland’s Department of Public Safety has established
“UMD Alert,” a notification system that allows the University of
Maryland to contact you during an emergency by sending text messages to your
e-mail, mobile phone, pager, BlackBerry, or other text-enabled device. Full article
Message from Jeff Huskamp, Vice President and CIO Illegal File Sharing Can Be Harmful to Your Financial Health
Similar courtroom dramas could also be the final act in a series of legal actions taken by the RIAA against individuals here at the University of Maryland and other universities around the country. The litigation process begins with the RIAA participating in file sharing networks, like LimeWire and Ares where illegal file sharing is rampant, and recording the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of computers offering copyrighted works for downloading. The RIAA then notes the date, time, and the copyrighted works being offered; looks up which institution holds the IP address; and sends a letter to that institution that a potential copyright violation has been observed. Since the RIAA does not know the name of the person using the computer at that IP address, it sends the letter to the institution of record that owns the IP address. When we receive such letters at the University of Maryland, we notify the appropriate university network user of the letter's arrival and ask that he or she pick it up. We do not tell the RIAA the network user's name or even whether or not the letter has been delivered. Generally, these RIAA letters contain an offer to let the addressee settle the copyright claim for around $3,000 by logging onto an electronic commerce Web site and transferring the requested money. If the addressee does not accept this settlement offer, the RIAA sends a subpoena to the university requesting the network user's name. The University of Maryland will provide the person's name to the RIAA if the subpoena is legally constituted and will notify the affected person. Next, the RIAA sends a settlement letter directly to the network user. This letter usually offers to settle the claim for around $7,000. If the claim is not settled, the RIAA then sues the person in court, which could result in a possible fine in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, as the Minnesota woman found out. At press time, the RIAA has sent 38 pre-litigation letters to University of Maryland community members. Some have settled out of court for $3,000-4,000. The university has received subpoenas requesting additional information on eight individuals that did not settle. If these individuals do not accept the RIAA's follow-up settlement offers, lawsuits could follow. While the university aims to protect both its community members and its network resources, it can not offer legal protection to network users for illegal behavior. New university actions - including the recently instituted blocks on Ares and LimeWire file sharing networks - were addressed in an open letter to the community; see www.oit.umd.edu/News/Archive/2007/openletter1007.html for details. There are dozens of legal music and movie subscription services with extensive music and video collections available at reasonable prices. Ruckus even offers Maryland-specific special features for the benefit and convenience of the university community. Please don't be a statistic. Don't illegally download or share copyrighted works. It is not worth the price you could have to pay. 
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With the first court test of the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) illegal file sharing suits behind us, it is now clear that losing a copyright infringement suit can be very costly. The RIAA recently won a case against a Minnesota woman for sharing 24 copyrighted songs - and the court assessed a $222,000 fine against the defendant.
ITforUM
is the
Information Technology Newsletter of the University
of Maryland, published by the Office
of Information Technology.
Letters to
the editor and article suggestions are welcome. Please send correspondence
to ITforUM@umd.edu.
Staff
Credits | Archive. © 2007 University
of Maryland.