Spring Break
Students ignore required password changes
Eric R. Evridge
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Students are required to change their passwords every 120 days or risk having their accounts locked, according to new guidelines from the Department of Information Services.
"The program was written for over a year, and the changes were announced back before the students left campus," said Pamela Hudspeth, manager of information and web services.
Computing Services wants the word out to students so they take it seriously, Hudspeth said.
"Everything we do is governed by this department, and the word has been spread for months. What is more frustrating is that students have not read what was published. It was virtually ignored," Hudspeth said.
In years before, e-mails for password changes were recommendations. Now, they're required or accounts will be locked out, Hudspeth said.
Students will have 10 days to change their passwords after receiving the e-mail, according to a UA press release. Once an account has been locked out, students must take their photo IDs to the Registrar's office to have their account unlocked.
"There are some students that just didn't believe the e-mails sent out by the computing department," said Alice Lacey, registrar at the UA.
"I think it's just a learning process," Lacey said. "Anything we do that increases security is a good thing even if it causes a little inconvenience."
Information and warnings about the changes have been made through a variety of ways, Hudspeth said.
We don't want students to feel like they're getting the runaround when being sent to the Registrar's office or the Help Desk, Hudspeth said.
"Our Help Desk is absolutely one of the best in the state," Hudspeth said. "But when a user calls, they are often frustrated and take it out on the Help Desk folks."
"We're lucky to have a computing department that looks out for us," Lacey said.
"The program was written for over a year, and the changes were announced back before the students left campus," said Pamela Hudspeth, manager of information and web services.
Computing Services wants the word out to students so they take it seriously, Hudspeth said.
"Everything we do is governed by this department, and the word has been spread for months. What is more frustrating is that students have not read what was published. It was virtually ignored," Hudspeth said.
In years before, e-mails for password changes were recommendations. Now, they're required or accounts will be locked out, Hudspeth said.
Students will have 10 days to change their passwords after receiving the e-mail, according to a UA press release. Once an account has been locked out, students must take their photo IDs to the Registrar's office to have their account unlocked.
"There are some students that just didn't believe the e-mails sent out by the computing department," said Alice Lacey, registrar at the UA.
"I think it's just a learning process," Lacey said. "Anything we do that increases security is a good thing even if it causes a little inconvenience."
Information and warnings about the changes have been made through a variety of ways, Hudspeth said.
We don't want students to feel like they're getting the runaround when being sent to the Registrar's office or the Help Desk, Hudspeth said.
"Our Help Desk is absolutely one of the best in the state," Hudspeth said. "But when a user calls, they are often frustrated and take it out on the Help Desk folks."
"We're lucky to have a computing department that looks out for us," Lacey said.
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