Knowing what hardware and software to purchase can be a very confusing ordeal! Microsoft seems to come out with new operating systems and Office packages every six months! On campus we have made changes with our e-mail system that have required users to change their client software from Pegasus to Outlook and Outlook Express. And hardware? Which vendors are we currently using? How much RAM is needed to support the programs you want to run? The list seems to go on and on.

In an attempt to streamline the process and improve customer support the ITS and Procurement offices have made some modifications to the ordering process for hardware and software. The bottom line is this: When in doubt contact your IRC! The IRC (Information Resource Consultant) who provides technical support in your area has a great deal of knowledge about the current software being used on campus. They also know which printers best serve certain requirements, how much memory is needed to run applications and which vendors are currently offering the best prices on systems. If they don't know the answer they know where to get it!

Visit the following link in order to familiarize yourself with the new ordering procedures:
Hardware and Software. Also visit the Software List link from this page in order to obtain information on the software currently being supported and recommended by ITS.

We are very excited to announce that Human Resources has added several new features to their web pages! Current faculty and staff can now view current announcements and benefits information by visiting the new site at: Human Resources. The new design also includes a dynamic header which features commentary from current Coastal employees. Take a look -- we know you will recognize some friends. Plans are already being made to add additional information to the site and the announcements will change periodically so bookmark this page and visit often.

Equally exciting is the addition of the automated online job application feature! Anyone interested in current job openings at Coastal can visit the site for listings. Prospective applicants can submit their application information online and are prompted through a series of easy-to-follow steps. The new application which was developed in a joint project between ITS and HREO will streamline the process of applying for jobs at Coastal. The ease of applying for jobs at CCU will certainly increase our pool of qualified applicants. From the main page job seekers can select the Job Opportunities link and be on their way!

Did you know???

• Our campus network now has the capacity to transfer data at speeds reaching 7mb/sec? Stated differently: a 10 megabyte file would take 1 hour to download using a 56kbps modem compared to less than 10 sec at 7mb/sec. Please note, though, that we are all sharing the 7mb/sec internet access making it unlikely our files would download quite that fast!
• The most active day of the week for our e-mail server is Monday between the hours of 11:00 AM and noon. Last week 2.6 million successful server requests (delivery of incoming and outgoing e-mail messages) were performed!
• Last week, the most active day of the week for our web site was Tuesday and the most frequently visited site was the Athletics site!
• For Fall semester there are a total of 60 courses with 2,700 enrolled students where instructors are using WebCT as an online teaching tool!
  

You might be asking: What is IMP? IMP is an acronym for "Internet Messaging Program". This application facilitates internet access to your Coastal e-mail account. When you log in to your browser at mailbox.coastal.edu you are presented with a unique interface that has been customized to allow users to retrieve their university e-mail accounts from any computer that has internet access!

On the first day of each month the e-mail system runs through a series of maintenance processes that insure that the system is operating as efficiently as possible. Part of this process involves archiving and storing old e-mail messages. On the first day of each month users will be presented with the following screen:

IMPORTANT! It is recommend that all three boxes be checked and users select the Perform Maintenance Operations button selected.

As usage quotas are always a concern with an e-mail system as large as Coastal's it is the responsibility of each user to deleted old messages and store only those messages that are relevant and work related.

Welcome to the final installment of a 3-part series in Web Accessibility. The first part explained what Web Accessibility is and what laws address this important issue. The second part discussed the technologies used to create and view web content in relation to accessibility.

Although there is no official policy regarding Web Accessibility we are fully aware of its importance. When we redesigned the CCU web site in Fall 2000 / Spring 2001 we were unaware of some of the issues concerning accessibility and did not approach the design accordingly. However there are many small fixes for accessibility that can be done regardless of the design such as providing alternative text for images or structuring data tables appropriately.

As we move forward in our development and new site designs we are doing so with accessibility in mind. Look for a new myCoastal site in 2003 and a main site redesign for Coastal's 50th anniversary in 2004. When we design and implement these sites we will be cognizant of the accessibility issues and will design accordingly. Our goal is to make the content of our site accessible to everyone.

If you have any questions or comments about Web Accessibility please contact Rick Matthews: E-mail - rmatthe@coastal.edu, Telephone: - 349-2193 or on-campus extension 2193.