The Quad

Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: News

In order to streamline security of logging into webmail, the Academic Computing center has implemented West Chester University Webmail and Network Account Management.

The new system was initiated on Wednesday Oct. 31, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. allowing students and faculty to log in using the same form. Additionally, this system incorporates new features that allow users to self-direct and modify passwords.

ResNet Central Manager Richard Jackson said that users can activate security questions in order to aid them in the event that a password is forgotten.

Paul Gargiulo Jr., technical manager and Blackboard System administrator for the Academic Computing Center, said that one question can be selected from a variety of questions presented, and one is determined by the user. These questions are similar to the ones a person would see when accessing information regarding bank accounts online.

Gargiulo said that security questions can only be determined and made if the user has a working password. If not, the student must go to the Academic Computing center to activate a working password.

When a working password is established, users can maintain password changes on their own. For example, as opposed to going to the Academic Computing Center if a password is forgotten, correctly answering security questions will give the user the password. This can be completed by clicking on the webmail page and then referring to the "Online Password Reset Tool," which provides the user with the same questions he or she answered when initiating security questions.

Within the first hour of the security questions being available to users, 65 students made their security questions and answers. Gargiulo said that 70 to 80 percent of the incoming calls to the center are due to a forgotten password. The new system, Gargiulo said, will allow the students to make modifications without the assistance of the center.

Gargiulo said that when a person changes his or her password, security questions do not have to be neither changed nor modified.

There are the same stipulations to creating a successful password, such as having eight characters, lower class and upper case letters and it cannot be the same as the previous three passwords. These stipulations are available on the reset page.

In addition, Jackson said that the new system can also allow a student to modify their user name. For instance, if a person gets married or wants to add a middle initial, this is also a possible option for users. This can be completed by referring to the last link on the page entitled "Online update tool."

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