April 6, 2000 Minutes

Attending: Landen Bain, John Board, Jim Coble (for David Ferriero), Nevin Fouts, Alfred Trozzo (for Paul Harrod), David Jamieson-Drake, Roger Loyd, John Oates, George Oberlander, Lynne O'Brien, Alan Halachmi, Patrick Halpin,Donna Hewitt, Ken Knoerr, Melissa Mills, Caroline Nisbet, Mike Pickett, Rafael Rodriguez, and Robert Wolpert.
Guests: Billy Herndon, Ginny Cake, Asha Jones and Jim Rigney

Review of Minutes and Announcements:

• The minutes of the previous meeting were accepted without revision.
   
• David Jamieson-Drake: discussed the registration of 1300 students with the Student Information System. For a couple of hours on Friday, the server was I/O bound. Part of the problem stemmed from students logging onto more then one PC trying to jump the line.Another server was added to handle the load. Registration using the computer is faster then having to register the students using phones.
   
• Mike Pickett: distributed handouts concerning personal computer firewalls and the Zone Alarm Internet Security Utility. He also mentioned that a security brief was sent to everyone in ITAC. All securities briefs will be on a website so other organizations can benefit from Duke experiences. http://www.oit.duke.edu/oit/policy/firewall/
   
• Robert Wolpert: Next week he has to report to the Executive Committee Academic Council on what ITAC has done and plans to do. The following items will be discussed:
  1. Computer cluster planning was done and ongoing data collection is being done. This is to ensure that students can have better access to computers.
  2. Help Desk has been examined and improvements made.
  3. Student Online Support (SOS) system is working. Students are helping other students.
  4. Remote access and working with Time Warner and GTE to get people who are located off campus faster access to the INTERNET.
  5. The Student Information System (SISS) team throughout the year has kept ITAC posted on their progress.
  6. Computer and network security is a big item. Many discussions have taken place and will take place in the future.
  7. Teaching using technology is an ongoing item.
  8. Digital Millennium copyright act was discussed.
  9. ITAC is solving complex IT problems and doing it well.
  10. Reduce the number of protocols on Duke Net.
  11. OIT, users and students communicate well on IT projects and this communication carries over to other projects at Duke.

ELECTRONIC MASS COMMUNICATION POLICY

• Why would the provost want to take the time to approve mass mailings?
• What was the logic for choosing 100 people as the cut off?
• Schools have their own policies on what subjects are allowed in a mass mailing.
• Students have access to school E-mail lists.
  • What prevents students from abusing the mass E-mail is peer pressure.
  • People are sure to mention if they think that the E-mail is inappropriate.
  • It is usually peer pressure that prevents an excessive use of unacceptable mass E-mailing.
• Ads for selling items are acceptable at some schools.
• The policy is meant to discourage students from one school using other schools mailing lists to advertise an event.
• Students would need approval if they want to send the same message to E-mail lists of students in other schools.

1. Ken Knoerr chairs the committee and introduced the committee members. He handed out the Draft Electronic Mass Communications (EMC) Policies.

   George Oberlander presented the policy and said people will know there are regulations on E-mail and they will look before sending something using mass mailing. He said to keep in mind the mission of the University when discussing the draft policy. Also, as the policy states; That EMC's are denied unless explicitly allowed by policy. Concerning the first paragraph in the Definition, Scope and Purpose. The following comments were made.

   John Board mentioned that generally Duke allows E-mail not just for Duke business. It is a benefit provided to employees.

   Nevin Fouts said there is a need for university policy to keep people from crossing Department boundaries with mass mailings.

   Melissa Mills said that Arts and Sciences students are also students in other schools.

   Lynne O'Brien said when she needs course information, she sends out surveys to all students. In this case, Lynne can obtain a pre-approval for these mailings.

   Allen Halachmi said that a designated central organization is needed to make decisions about mass E-mail.

   There was a discussion when to use mass E-mailing or to use paper. Do you kill trees or clutter someone electronic mail box.

   Patrick Halpin mentioned that students could have a web page where they can sign up for different mailing lists. Lists would be marked mandatory and non mandatory. If the students did not like the mailing they are receiving, they could unsubscribe from the non-mandatory lists.

   Robert Walport stated that The University needs to have a policy when mass E-mail mailings become more of a problem.

   George Oberlander read item three under Some Guiding Principles.

   Large E-mail attachments going to too many people tend to clog the system.

   Roger Loyd Opposes the approval process. Additional staff would be needed in the Provost office to approve mass E-mailings.

   Caroline Nisbet mentioned that one policy to cover all populations is important.The committee is trying to accomplish with this draft policy.

   Nevin Fouts said that in his school only designated people could do mass mailings.

   Melissa Mills said policy is needed so people will know when mass mailings are wrong.

   George Oberlander said that there will be a need to educate people about E-mail.What types of E-mails can be sent as mass mailings.

   Ken Knoerr said that he had noticed that at other school sites before getting your password the person needs to read several screens that review E-mail policy.
   Ken suggested that ITAC members send comments to George Oberlander so he can incorporate them the next draft of Electronic Mass Communications Policies.

   ITAC members then discussed what is a good mass mailing and what is inappropriate.

COMPUTER RECOMMENDATIONS LETTER DISCUSSION