computer problems - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Nov 30, 2004

computer problems

Date: Nov 30, 2004

We seem to recall that a former USM administrator had as a goal to make this the most computer literate university in America.

Date: Nov 30, 2004

How has your Dean addressed your situation?

Date: Nov 30, 2004

If your employer requires you to use a particular tool on the job but does not provide that tool, you may deduct the cost of said tool on your income tax. This includes peripherals, etc. Once you start using your own laptop, you can write off all those ink jet cartridges you've been burning up printing family photos

Yes, it is very sad that USM evidently doesn't have the resources (or won't allocate the resources) to enable iTech to do its job. But were I on the faculty at USM, I don't think I would want to use a university-provided PC.

Date: Nov 30, 2004

Have you noticed that when you reply to a student who uses a .usm.edu address you get a delivery failure notice? This is because the default setting for student email provides NOT their correct email address but their STUDENT ID.usm.edu as their return address to your email client. This supplies anyone to whom email is sent with the student's university ID. Are we online or what!

I have approached itech and my college itech information officer about this problem to no resolution.

My sad solution to this has been to forbid my students from emailing me or submitting work to me through a usm address.

Date: Nov 30, 2004

I have run into this problem. I can understand why it might be a spam prevention move, but at least they could tell you. I had a very frustrated student (and eventually a very frustrated me) trying to communicate something important before I found out what the deal was.
As an adjunct, I've found being able to email my students an invaluable help as I am on campus so little. I set up a special account just for them, and it gets a lot of use.

It was said earlier that it's no surprise that Amy Young, of all people, does not have a working computer.

Date: Nov 30, 2004

All it would take is a snap of my fingers to save enough $$$ to provide each USM faculty member with a new state-of-the-art computer. It would have to do with salaries. I am not referring to the pitifully low salaries of faculty or staff.

Date: Nov 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Amy Young
"I

Please post here if you have technology problems at USM. If this is as serious as I think it is, this needs to be public information.
"

I have it from a reliable source that as of last year, about half of the School of Music faculty did not have computers. They had to go to computer labs to fill out their FAR or to enter their grades on SOAR. In an act of complete lunacy, the music dept. list serve had an (electronic) notice that all future departmental memos would be sent on e-mail. (Of course, some faculty members did not HAVE e-mail.) The situation may be better now, I haven't heard. Ironically, when the summer research grant proposals were changed to on-line applications several years ago, the music faculty were notified by only by e-mail, so most of them did not get the message. In the midst of this, the chair and co-chair were pushing faculty to teach on-line courses--do you think anyone actually thought that there would be enough technical support to do this? Instead of recognizing that computers are as essential as paper clips, the co-chair was quoted as saying, "They could all have computers if they'd write grants for them."

Prof. Young, you have just joined the third world of USM, which as you know, is a 4th tier university. YES there is crappy support for technology at USM along with lots of pressure to use it so we can get those 20,000 students. Does USM give us what we need to do our jobs? No. Do I think you are being personally punished for being quoted in the papers? Yes m'aam.

Date: Nov 30, 2004

I signed something early in the term for a student to get financial help to buy a computer. Why couldn't the university at least underwrite some sort of pay by the week plan for faculty and staff to buy computers at an insitutional discount? I doubt if anyone would default. Frankly, if I were real faculty, I would do whatever it took to have my own computer and I would never leave it alone for a minute.

Date: Nov 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Hamsters turning the LP disk
"Instead of recognizing that computers are as essential as paper clips, the co-chair was quoted as saying, "They could all have computers if they'd write grants for them."

Include a computer purchase in your grant budget? If a funding agency discovered a university did not provide a computer for the grant writer - WOW! The grant review committee would toss the application into FILE 13 pronto. The review committee would probably make remarks among themselves such as "I wonder if those bozo's supply paper clips for their faculty"?

Date: Nov 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Amy Young
"I have just spent three weeks and one day without a computer on my desk at USM. I have been using my personal laptop to get email and work on my classes and do research. Now my personal laptop is broken (but is still under warranty) but I will have absolutely nothing on my desk when I get to work in the morning. I can't seem to get an answer from iTech as to when I will have a computer on my desk that works. My repeated requests for help and information from iTech result in only sympathy. The folks at iTech have been really nice. BUT I can only conclude that iTech does not have the resources it needs to keep USM up and running. How many at USM don't have working computers? How many have really bad computers where the CD drive doesn't work or the keyboard doesn't work? Is it true that our USM server doesn't even have a good backup? I want to know if there are others who are experiencing technology problems. This semester, my problems have been bad, but I know that I cannot be the only one. I posted on another thread about my computer problems and wondered what would happen if I were teaching an online course. My ability to continue as chair of Academic Council is compromised without a computer and without the capacity to easily get to my files and email. My ability to work on research reports and on articles for publication is completely gone. Almost everything I do is on my computer. I have students waiting on recommendation letters. I keep student grades on spreadsheets. I wonder how I can fill out my FAR? Please post here if you have technology problems at USM. If this is as serious as I think it is, this needs to be public information. . ."

This is pretty much standard operating procedure and has been for some time in my experience.

You are not alone, but you probably feel pretty isolated and wonder when, if ever, technical support and/or assistance will arrive. Don't hold your breath!!!

I hope that by showing belonging with your plight it will help you and possibly others facing similar challenges, but I doubt that this will be of any lasting consequence.

Mostly people are concerned first that their equipment does whatever they use it for, if they use it at all, and consider themselves lucky when it does "work."

The odds are long for being supported fairly or adequately when needs like this surface.

It is not fun to be worthy of attention and also needy.

This response begs other issues relating to the timing of the problems that you are facing, but it takes on enough for now.

Good luck as you work through and around this situation.

Don't give up!

Date: Dec 1, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Bozo
"Include a computer purchase in your grant budget? If a funding agency discovered a university did not provide a computer for the grant writer - WOW! The grant review committee would toss the application into FILE 13 pronto. The review committee would probably make remarks among themselves such as "I wonder if those bozo's supply paper clips for their faculty"? "

When I worked at USM, I bought my own chalk.

Date: Dec 1, 2004

I bought my own chalk and overheads when needed as well. This is in the College of Business where the overheads never worked any way, the bulbs were always blown and there were no replacements. Chalk costs $.79 for a whole box.

Does anyone really have a handle on the financial situation at USM? What is the bottom-line in terms of money coming in vs. going out? Are we close to broke? Do we know?

Date: Dec 1, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Hamsters turning the LP disk
" the chair and co-chair were pushing faculty to teach on-line courses-- the co-chair was quoted as saying, "They could all have computers if they'd write grants for them."

What is a co-chair?

What authority does this person have to push faculty into teaching online courses?

What computer grants are available?

Date: Dec 1, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: What?
"
What is a co-chair?
What authority does this person have to push faculty into teaching online courses?
What computer grants are available?"

1) Sorry, perhaps he is "assistant chair."

2) None. But chairs and assistant chairs can make one's life difficult if you don't do what they request. To insist that a faculty member teach online is, to my mind, an academic freedom issue. The on-line format DOES change of the content of courses in my discipline.

3) I have no idea. What paper clip and chalk grants are available?

Date: Dec 1, 2004

You are absolutely correct in your report of the music faculty and computers. Don't see how it can be any better now with no money.

Date: Dec 1, 2004

Night Chalker, are you out there?

Does your creative mind suggest any appropriate slogans? like perhaps . . . "Where is Amy Young's computer?", or "Where are our computers, dude?" or "Millions for skyboxes but not one dime for computers" or . . .

NO QUARTER.
Anne Wallace

Date: Dec 1, 2004

Anyone out there recall the requirements for associate dean of COAL listed in the call for applicants? Who needs a computer when you can sharpen pencils.

Date: Dec 1, 2004

Exactly what was it that the University received (other than e-mail monitoring) for it's two just under half million dollar contracts with Pileum?

Date: Dec 1, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Anne Wallace
"
Does your creative mind suggest any appropriate slogans? like perhaps . . . "Where is Amy Young's computer?", or "Where are our computers, dude?" or "Millions for skyboxes but not one dime for computers" or . . .
Anne Wallace
"

‘puters R not US.

Date: Dec 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: What?
"What computer grants are available?"

To my knowledge, the only computer grants available at USM since 1983 were the result of then-VP for Academic Affairs (pre-"Provost"-model administration) David Huffman, who in Fall 1994 put together $125K for a Request for Proposals. Our committee managed to convince Aubrey and Huffman to double this, to put some computers on faculty desks (NOT enough for "all faculty"), and some "crash carts" with computers for shared use in specific buildings.

Of course, by now all the "Faculty Technology Grant" computers have been consigned to a landfill. Horace Fleming and John McGowan (his Tech czar) took $8 million from the Provost's office (many lost faculty positions) to set up the campus backbone, and to connect all the buildings. So, we got campus-wide ability to connect by wireless card, and a front-page story in the Chronicle of Higher Education, but there was no allocation for computers.

Date: Dec 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: oldtimer
"Horace Fleming and John McGowan (his Tech czar) took $8 million from the Provost's office (many lost faculty positions) to set up the campus backbone, and to connect all the buildings. So, we got campus-wide ability to connect by wireless card, and a front-page story in the Chronicle of Higher Education, but there was no allocation for computers. "

Fleming did indeed set up the campus backbone to connect all the buildings with campus-wide abiity to connect by wireless card - and national attention to this in the Chronicle. Fleming had a clear plan but he was not given enough time to fully implement that plan. Before he came here he had meaningful experience at two good out-of-state universities (most unusual for USM to say the least), and he must have recognized USM's 4th tier status long before it became public. But he moved on to a much better job.

Date: Dec 2, 2004

I remember hearing a complaint that some of Fleming's tech people were making $70,000. I was stunned, because my non-degreed tech child makes WAY more than that. $70,000 was barely market for the skills needed. Now let's ponder some of the salaries paid under the New Regime, and what that money has bought.

Date: Dec 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: LVN
"I remember hearing a complaint that some of Fleming's tech people were making $70,000. I was stunned, because my non-degreed tech child makes WAY more than that. $70,000 was barely market for the skills needed. Now let's ponder some of the salaries paid under the New Regime, and what that money has bought."

Your make a very good point, LVN.

Date: Dec 2, 2004

scoot--i agree with a lot of what you say. you have left out one fact--before we went to wireless Fleming spent money on a fiber optic system. i remember looking out my office window for a year or so and seeing all of the roads torn up to bury fiber optic cable. never got used much, if at all. mostly dark. what we have as a result is roads that are horrible to drive over. take the road that goes from mclemore past southern hall past college hall past the pac and the like. roads may be better in baghdad.

Date: Dec 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"scoot--i agree with a lot of what you say. you have left out one fact--before we went to wireless Fleming spent money on a fiber optic system. i remember looking out my office window for a year or so and seeing all of the roads torn up to bury fiber optic cable. never got used much, if at all. mostly dark. what we have as a result is roads that are horrible to drive over. take the road that goes from mclemore past southern hall past college hall past the pac and the like. roads may be better in baghdad."

You might be right, stinky. Very likely you are. I was so busy looking for a parking space that I never noticed the potholes in the streets!

Date: Dec 3, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Pileum High & Deep
"Exactly what was it that the University received (other than e-mail monitoring) for it's two just under half million dollar contracts with Pileum?"

Besides email monitoring... they got unquestioning allegiance to SFT and AD.

Robert Campbell

Date: Dec 3, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Robert Campbell
" Besides email monitoring... they got unquestioning allegiance to SFT and AD. Robert Campbell"

Yes, and so what is the relationship now and who else is involved at the state level with this bogus charade?