Ever wonder what happens to computer equipment that is too old to be used on campus? Sometime, UIS donates it to schools or nonprofits. Recently, in coordination with a member of the Pacific University Board of Trustees, we donated a number of older computers and monitors to the Kalabash Academy, a nonprofit that runs educational soccer camps for youth in West Africa (above).
Replacing computers — along with project/campus technology enhancements and electronic health record optimization — has been our focus on UIS all summer. Now, we're excited to welcome our new cohorts and undergraduate students for a new academic year!
Remember, your UIS team is just a phone, email, or Zoom connection away! Thank you and go Boxers!
Brandon Gatke
CIO/CISO
P.S. Due to an (inadvertant) hiatus in July, this month's Tech News is extra long. Thanks for your patience, and read on for more news and resources from UIS.
UIS Staffing Changes
We're proud to announce that two new staff members have joined the UIS team. Rutul Patel is our new supervisor for Helpdesk services on the Hillsboro Campus, filling the role that was occupied by Leah Blake. Colin Nealon is our new senior Apple product specialist at the Helpdesk, filling the role left vacant by Josh Hauser. Please join us in welcoming both to the Pacific community.
Review Your Campus Voicemail from a Web Browser
Pacific employees with campus phones and voicemail once again have access to listen to and delete voicemail messages via web browser. Voicemail.pacificu.edu has been recently upgraded to restore your ability to manage your voicemail account without using your telephone. The site can be accessed from on or off campus. Users will need to login using Single Sign-On and then enter telephone extension and voicemail PIN.
Ensuring Box Folder Continuity During Employee Transitions
Box folders sometimes get lost when employees leave the university. If a folder is departmentally owned, there is no issue. But folders owned by outgoing employees will disappear. (See our article on how to check if a folder is owned by a department or individual.) UIS advice for managers with outgoing employees includes asking those employees to move any work files that may be needed later to a departmental folder.
Profile Management in Google Chrome
Google recently made changes to the Google Chrome web browser to allow users to have multiple profiles each utilizing different Google accounts. Chrome may offer to set up a new profile for you. (An earlier version of this behavior, which has since been changed, caused some users to gain a large number of profiles.)
You may also see messages telling you that your profile is managed by "your organization." This is to let you know that your profile is based on a Pacific University Google account and thus some settings are under our potential control. Your privacy in the use of your Google account is protected in the privacy appendix of our Appropriate Use Policy.
Summer Wireless Upgrades
After a year of waiting, due to global supply chain issues, UIS has replaced or redeployed more than 200 wireless access points across all campus locations to upgrade and enhance coverage. This replaces more than 25% of total access points in use by the university and introduces Wi-Fi 6 compatibility in some areas of campus.
Students living in Cascade Hall, McCormick Hall, Walter Hall, and the Vandervelden Apartments, as well as students and staff in the Hillsboro Campus Building 2, should see the most improvements.
We've also added wireless service to the 2415 Main house, Boxer Gardens, and ITF East as well as enhancements in Jefferson Hall, Strain Hall, Creighton Hall, and the Tran Library within the last year.
Farewell Google Hangouts, Hello Google Chat
People using Google Hangouts on Android and iOS have begun seeing an in-app screen asking them to move to the Chat App for iPhone/iPad or Chat in Gmail. Google has announced that Hangouts will be shut down in November 2022, but for the time being it is still accessible on computer web browsers. Find Google Chat and more in your Google Apps Dashboard. Google's instant messaging features can be used in those mobile applications linked above, and when discussing sensitive or protected information, use Protected Data Zoom for instant messaging.
Pacific Has Joined eduroam!
What is eduroam? It's a method to allow Pacific University account holders to authenticate and use wireless networks at other institutions. More than 10,000 eduroam hotspots are available at universities and educational institutions in more than 100 territories around the world. If you are traveling or doing research at another university, you can check the eduroam site or use their mobile app to see where it is available. Look for more details coming soon to the UIS Knowledge Base in the Services Portal.
UIS Donations Support Youth in Gambia
When computers and computer equipment are too old to be re-used on campus, UIS sometimes donates it to schools or non-profits. Recently, in coordination with a member of Pacific's Board of Trustees, we donated a number of older computers and monitors to the Kalabash Academy, a nonprofit that runs educational soccer camps for youth in West Africa. Here you can see an image of the computer lab created for these students with Pacific's donations.
Goodbye to Internet Explorer
Last month, Microsoft officially ended support for their Internet Explorer web browser. While it's still available on many Windows machines, it will no longer receive security or compatibility updates, and soon Windows will begin redirecting you to the Edge browser if you try to access Internet Explorer. Note that, for most sites, UIS suggests using the Google Chrome browser. See Microsoft's blog for more information and if you are concerned a site you access may require Internet Explorer, please let us know.
Google Tip: Make a Boxer Mail or Google Calendar a Standalone Window
Are you tired of trying to find your inbox or calendar amidst a plethora of other browser tabs? In Google Chrome for Windows, in either your Boxer Mail inbox or your Google Calendar, click on the three dots in the upper right of the browser and choose "More Tools" and "Create Shortcut." On the next page, be sure to check the Box for "Open as Window" and then click "Create." This will put a shortcut on your desktop that opens Boxer Mail or your calendar as a window that remains separate from your other browser windows and tabs. You can even click and drag one of these shortcuts to your taskbar to be able to launch email or calendar from there.
Boxer Mail For Employees - One Year In
It's been just over a year since we transitioned employee emails over to Google. In that time a lot of employees have benefitted from easier collaboration with students, no personal mailbox size limits, and lots of useful features unavailable in Exchange or Outlook. We've had lots of great tips, provided both by UIS staff and by other employees, on how to make better use of Boxer Mail and the other Boxer Apps tools, including:
Changing between Reply and Reply All as default.
Checking messages in your Spam folder.
Utilizing email templates for frequently sent email text.
Publishing calendar appointment slots that people can sign up for.
Using "not" and other operators to refine email search results.
Popping out your email compose window.
Adding additional text to your email address to track email sources.
Find a time everyone can meet in Google Calendar.
Request to see when your emails were read.
Send mail with the From address showing as any address you control.
Alternate methods for employees who send bulk emails (e.g. mail merges) that would otherwise exceed Gmail daily send limits.
Finding messages that were sent by or to individuals.
Make mail links on webpages open in Boxer Mail.
Unsending messages shortly after they've been sent.