What you need to know about computing, network policy and your personal responsibilities:
PSU has a new email and calendar system...myMail. Last year, a decision was made to replace our aging email system. We selected Zimbra, a web-based email system that has all the bells and whistles of common email applications like Google, Hotmail and Yahoo. You can access your email in my.Plymouth.edu, at mail.plymouth.edu. Outlook users access it through the same mail server. You can also use the calendar, address book and write, store and share documents for online collaboration. Try it. Get to know it and make it work for you. (hint: look at Shortcuts in Options to save time!)
PSU recently adopted a new emergency notification system called PSU Alert. that enables the school to send urgent news to your cell phone. Once you sign up for the service, the school can text your cell phone with timely information about emergencies, snow days, floods or other urgent campus communications. This is an OPT IN service. To register, login to myPlymouth and select the PSU Alert in the My Services sidebar. There you will find FAQs and instructions on how to register.
When you connect to the network for the first time this fall, you were required to update your computer's antivirus and operating system software. This enables you to maintain a secure and protected computer, while keeping our network and PSU information systems safe. We take network security seriously, we hope you do to.
Music and movie file sharing has become a risky behavior. It's been free music for years, but now there is far greater risk to you personally. If you are identified, your computer may be disconnected from the PSU network. Worse, you could be levied a hefty fine. Don't do it! Share music responsibly.
Whether you bring your own or use a PSU computer, you are accountable for how you use your computer on the PSU network. You have high degree of academic and privacy, but know that you leave tracks everywhere you go. All of us are accountable to the PSU Acceptable Use Policy for Computing. Check it out and compute responsibly.
Sunday mornings are reserved for network and system maintenance. We strive to keep downtime periods short, and you can receive text alerts in advance through e2Campus if you would like. Otherwise, we post notices to myPlymouth when work is scheduled.
Protect your portable computer! Never leave it unlocked or unattended. Work out security with your roommates so that you're all covered.
Security is everyone's responsibility. You are responsible for keeping your computer updated with Windows and anti-virus protection. You are accountable for use of your username and password, along with what you do on your computer connected to the PSU network.
Need to send large files? There are limits to the size of attachments in PSU email, but you can go to YouSendIt, SendThisFile, or DropSend, all online services that let you send files up to several gigabytes large for free.
We are a green campus, until it comes to printing. There are valid reasons to print papers, reports and other materials. Please understand, however, that PSU spends an extraordinary amount of funds on paper and toner for student printing. If we all print judiciously and avoid printing whenever possible, we'll be saving money and doing our part to conserve resources.
For questions on these topics and anything else, comment below and/or contact the ITS Help Desk at the Lamson Learning Commons: 2929 or helpdesk@plymouth.edu.
Dwight Fischer, ITS