Well, I'm only repeating what a DEAN told me. At the time I found it as hard to believe as you do. But go back and read the poem, everybody.
After what the administration did to Stringer and Glamser, do you really think that they wouldn't stoop to anything? They certainly lie in public enough. My apologies to any iTech employees I have offended, but I don't think I'm posting irresponsibly. I'm trying to warn everyone to be careful and watch your back. Do you honestly think the e-mail monitoring is over? I don't.

quote:

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Originally posted by: Idiot Patrol
  No one from iTech has ever broken into an office to get "dirt" on a professor or anyone else. 

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In view of your statement, Idiot Patrol, I have a question for you: If the server does not store email as far back as a year, how do you think the university obtained Gary Stringer's 2003 emails which were in the evidence packet?

Logical Thinker

quote:

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Originally posted by: asdf
"
Thought I am sure IP has a theory, I would think those emails were removed off of the individual computers after the locks were changed and their computers were confiscated.  Another theory would look at when SFT started monitoring the email.  I just can't remember the exact details but say if he started do this in Dec/Jan, then all of 2003 would still be on the servers.  (I'm sure those details were in the hearing, so that theory should be easy to check.)
Remember, iTech is university staff.  I know most of the posters don't mean to offend, but can you imagine some of the outrage from members of this online community if someone suggested that secretaries were reporting straight to the dome on professors activity or members of the Commons staff were eavesdropping on conversations and running to the back to transcribe them in a email directly to SFT?  I know you say the climate of fear make you think anything is possible, but when do you go too far?"

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When do _we_ go too far? Isn't Thames the guy who went too far?
The administrative staff, underpaid and without the securities that faculty have (or used to have) are the people who are MOST at risk of being abused under the current administration. Many of them have told me they would say something about the current situation but they can't because they fear for their jobs. Many have stopped using university phones and only use their cell phones. Let's make this clear--if I think iTech is breaking into offices, I do NOT blame them. I blame whoever made them do it.

Also the records from the hearings show that the administration had e-mail which predates Gary Stringer completely replacing his hard drive, some from as far back as the August before--which means they were monitoring him long before the issues surrounding Dvorak's resume came up. They were also monitoring Myron Henry and the advisor to the Printz--there is written proof of this--and who knows who else.

And the "story" about iTech breaking into an office is related to a professor who is NOT Stringer or Glamser.

quote:

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Originally posted by: asdf
" I would think those emails were removed off of the individual computers after the locks were changed and their computers were confiscated."

Although it is not common knowledge, Gary Stringer's computer was not confiscated when his lock was changed, because it was not in his office at that time. The administration never got that hard drive.

"Another theory would look at when SFT started monitoring the email.  I just can't remember the exact details but if he started do this in Dec/Jan, then all of 2003 would still be on the servers." 

Did not the president testified under oath that he began the email surveillance of Stringer and Glamser in mid-January, 2004? The evidence packet included emails as far back as January, 2003. The nature of those emails suggests it is highly likely that they came off a hard drive.

Houston, do we have a problem? Draw your own conclusions.

Logical Thinker

LT,

"Although it is not common knowledge, Gary Stringer's computer was not confiscated when his lock was changed, because it was not in his office at that time. The administration never got that hard drive."

Ok, I didn't know that, but then it was evidently not common knowledge.

"Did not the president testified under oath that he began the email surveillance of Stringer and Glamser in mid-January, 2004? The evidence packet included emails as far back as January, 2003. The nature of those emails suggests it is highly likely that they came off a hard drive."

As I said before, I do not remember what SFT said.  How long does info stay on the server?  Any admins out there that could let us know, or what that said at the hearing also?  Is there a transcript of the hearing out on the web somewhere?

Also, as Invictus said, you might find out that iTech has been in your office, but that does not mean they are a spy.  My friends often tell me that it is near impossible to find some profs in their offices, so in order to complete a work order, they simply get someone to let them in so they can install, fix, or whatever is on the work order.  Sometimes there are situations where you would not even put in a work order.  I have an example where I walked into my lab to see an iTech person sitting at my computer, it had a virus that was attacking a computer at UAB and he was there installing a patch to fix it.

I guess I have a good relation with some of the people there so I tend to trust them.  I used to get heads up sometimes when they were going to look for file sharing on the network and things like that.  I realize that everyone does not feel the same way.

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Originally posted by: Interested
"

Invictus, could you recommend a website or other resource where one could learn about BIOS passwords, as you mention above? Thanks."

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When you boot up your computer, there will be a prompt for a specific function button to press to enter the BIOS set up. Once you get into the BIOS set up, there will be an area for setting a password. Once you've set it, do whatever your specific system requires to save the changes & exit.

After that, you will have to enter the password in order to boot the PC.

Proceed with extreme caution! If you forget the password, you will have to have someone reset the BIOS. This usually involves removing the small CMOS battery from the motherboard & sometimes requires changing a jumper on the motherboard, rebooting, then changing the jumper back. In other words, DON'T USE A PASSWORD YOU'RE LIKELY TO FORGET. At the same time, don't use a password that is easy to guess & don't keep a written copy of the password lying around.

Here are some instructions using the Phoenix BIOS screens as examples.

This is not bullet-proof. It just makes your PC a P.I.T.A. for an unauthorized person to access. For an idea about how much of a P.I.T.A. it can be, read this or this.

Also, this does not prevent someone from removing your hard drive & installing it on another machine to read the files.

Finally, I have no idea whether iTech regards BIOS passwords as a violation of the acceptable use policy...

If you really, really, don't want someone to read your files, encrypt them. The gold standard for personal encryption is PGP, currently version 8.0 for the "international" version & version 8.1 for the domestic release. Just remember, this level of encryption has been classified in the past as a not-for-export military grade system.

(As a side benefit of using PGP encryption, you can sign unencrypted documents with a digital signature that can be verified by the recipient. The cool thing is that the signature includes a checksum so the recipient can tell whether the document was modified in any way after it was signed.)

Invictus, thank you for this very important information. I plan to follow through with this and find your help to be quite valuable.

Oh, I completely believe that Anderson saved SFT, temporarily, from a world of pain. Listening to SFT's big evidence was joke.