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News About CS Offices Help Desk Policies System Status CS Home |
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About CS
August 25 , 2005 A warm Temple welcome to all new students and regards to returning students and faculty members. I hope you enjoyed your summer and are looking forward to the new academic year. In this message, I will you bring you up to date on major technology-related issues at Temple. Remember to Pick Up Your OWLcard Temple's Fall semester begins with new TUids in place and new OWLcards available for all students, faculty, and staff. If you have not done so already, please obtain your new OWLcard because your old Temple ID will no longer work. OWLcard distribution information is available on the ssn2tuid.temple.edu Web site. As stated in my previous messages, Computer Services implemented the new TUid as a primary identifier to protect the privacy of your Social Security number. The TUid is referenced throughout our computer systems and our administrative offices are now using it for identification purposes. get connected! Fall 2005 With over 5,000 students moving into Temple 's residence halls, safeguarding computers and Temple's network is a major issue. Computer Services consultants will be available in the residence halls during move-in days to help students get their telephone and Internet service up and running. Our Help Desk will also be open on move-in weekend. If you need assistance, look for our consultants who will be wearing “get connected /Fall 2005” t-shirts. As part of the connecting process, residence hall students will be required to install the latest version of Temple's Symantec Antivirus software, which now comes with protection against spyware, as well as a new Temple personal firewall. In addition to the network firewall, this personal firewall will provide greater protection against viruses and security threats for each individual computer. While these security resources are robust and go a long way in protecting your computer, it is important to remember that you must also take responsibility and do your part. Make it a point to run Windows Update, keep your password to yourself, and protect your private information. For specific security measures that you can take, please see my memo titled Computer Security is Everyone's Responsibility. Introducing TUportal2 TUportal made its debut in the summer of 2003 and, in a relatively short time, the usage and popularity of this resource grew rapidly. The success put us in the position of having to research and evaluate the technology that would allow for expansion, customization, and enhanced system stability. A generous grant from the Campus EAI Consortium provided Computer Services with the opportunity and tools to join our skills, creativity, and determination with other universities to design and build the next generation of TUportal. As a result, we created a new portal database infrastructure running on state-of-the-art Oracle technology. This new architecture offers more expansion possibilities so we can include new resources such as: • expanded links to Temple applications • TUmail feed • custom resources for students, faculty, and staff • dictionary and thesaurus access • University news • customizable RSS Newsfeeds and Blogs • campus Webcam views • Google search engine • current weather report A beta version of the new portal, temporarily known as TUportal2, is now live. I urge Temple students, faculty, and staff to participate in testing the new portal. Last month, we sent a letter to students asking for feedback and responses have been positive. When you login to TUportal2 by going to tuportal2.temple.edu, you will see the familiar features available in the current portal along with additional resources. It is important to note that any changes and updates that you make in TUportal2 will be recorded on Temple's systems. Please be aware, however, that because this new resource is still under development, the site may be unavailable periodically. I invite you send feedback about the new features and the usability of TUportal2. Computer Services recognizes that this is an important resource and we regard your input important to its success. Once you log in to TUportal2, you can send suggestions for improvements, report issues, or make general comments by clicking on the Portal Feedback link at the top of the page. You can also send feedback by going to the following Web site: www.temple.edu/cs/portalfeedback With the new technical foundation of TUportal, Computer Services hopes to greatly enhance and expand portal services in the coming months. We will keep you informed of future developments. Construction of the TECH Center Continues Speaking of the future, construction on the new TECH Center at 12th St. and Montgomery Ave., scheduled to open in Spring 2006, continues to be on schedule. One of the major features of this state-of-the-art facility will be the centralized presence and expansion of the Computer Services Help Desk and its services. For those of you who are new to Temple, the TECH Center will be a state-of-the-art technology facility with over 600 computers available for student use, making it the largest of its kind in the nation. In addition to general-use workstations, the TECH Center will feature specialized multimedia labs, breakout rooms for group study, wireless lounge space, and even a Starbucks café. The Center will provide entertainment as well, with Cable TV stations streamed to the lab workstation desktops. Students will be able to watch MTV, listen to music and surf the Web from the Center's computers. For faculty, the TECH Center will be home to an Instructional Support Center and the Teaching & Learning Center. It will also be the first place that prospective students and their parents visit at Temple, since the TECH Center will house the new University Welcome Center, which includes a 100+ seat auditorium. One of the major features of this will be the centralized presence and expansion of the Computer Services Help Desk and its services. In January 2006, the Help Desk will move from the ground floor of Wachman Hall to the first floor of the TECH Center. The new Help Desk will nearly double the size of the current facility. Visitors will enjoy the expanded walk-in area and the larger call center will offer additional service to the University community. The “PC Clinic” will also provide more space where students can learn how to troubleshoot, repair, and maintain their computers. A more significant expansion for the Help Desk will be in the hours of operation. Starting with the Spring semester, the Help Desk will be open 24 hours a day from Monday through Friday and it will also be open on the weekend. These extended hours will help us better serve students who live on campus and those who take evening classes, as well as "Night Owls" and early risers who need help during the early morning hours. For additional information, including news and a gallery of photographs and artist renderings, visit the TECH Center Web site. As always, Computer Service is working to meet your technology needs and to also continue researching and developing new resources. If you have any questions about our services or need help with your computer, please don't hesitate to contact the Help Desk at 1-8000 or help@temple.edu. I wish everyone a successful and productive academic year.
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