This Is IT!
Volume 3, Issue 2, January 2007
Message from the
CIO/Vice President
Greetings and Happy New Year! As 2007 gets underway and
a new semester begins, the Information Technology Division looks
forward to a gratifying and successful year. Technology at EPCC has become student-driven, and it has
moved from being a tool to becoming a critical resource that drives the
secure exchange of communication and information for our College
family. We must be prepared to offer our students the latest in technology so that they are able
to leave our institution better prepared to face the workforce or pursue their educational goals.
We also realize that the effective use of technology can make a competitive difference as we
continue to market the College and increase student enrollment.
As we implement new projects, we continuously ask ourselves key questions. Are we
meeting the needs of our College community? Are we spending our resources on the right
priorities? Are we supporting your needs? With the President’s support and my Leadership Teams’
continuous strategic planning, we believe we are moving in the right direction, and we welcome
any constructive suggestions that you may want to share. As we continue to plan for the future,
I will keep you informed and updated on projects or implementations. In the meantime, I’d like to
share some of the new services or projects taking place now:
* Did you know that we have a new Service Desk area that can now assist you through a remote assistance process by connecting to your computer directly from the Service Desk
area?
* Did you know that we now have System Alerts, Security Alerts and Virus Alerts that
are updated daily and available for you on the IT Home Page?
* Did you know that we now have a new web page with a keyword search engine and
a new faculty and staff directory that gets updated daily?
* Did you know that we now have a site on the new EPCC web where you can access
district forms such as timesheets, leave forms, personnel requisitions, etc., all in one place? Just
enter the keyword “district forms.”
* Did you know that we are in Phase IV of the Wireless Project, which means that we
have wireless access at all campuses and we are now targeting areas with low signal?
* Did you know that through continued discussion and collaboration (and a recent board
approved contract) with Time Warner Cable, they will soon offer discounts for College faculty and
staff on Internet, cable and phone service for your home?
These are only a few of the new initiatives, but as you can see, a lot is happening
in the IT Division. I continue to encourage feedback from students, faculty and
This is IT!
staff and look forward to hearing from you. The IT Service Desk is also ready
Message from the CIO/VP . . . . . . . 1
STS Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . 2
to assist, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Banner Version 7 Handy Tips . . . . . . 3
The
Best
Place
to
Start
Adobe Acrobat Training Continues . . .
Employee of the Month Irma Velez . . . .
Congratulations Dr. Girón. . . . . . .
Why Should I Worry About Spyware? . . .
Employee of the Month Debby Toynes. . .
Records Management-Imaging . . . . . .
Welcome Newcomers. . . . . . . . . .
2006 Annual IT Planning Session. . . .
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Fabiola Rubio
CIO/Vice President
El Paso County Community College District does not discriminate
on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age or
disability.
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STS Partnerships
Rosa Carrete, La’Shaun Patterson, and Alfred Reliford
This past semester the staff of Student Technology Services (STS) participated in meeting
the technology needs of the College and our community. The following are some of the activities
to which they contributed.
• They helped the USO in the opening of their new building on
Ft. Bliss by installing and configuring computer terminals, desktops, and
laptops for the Internet Café, offices, and USO administration. The building
was modernized into a high tech retreat for soldiers to relax during their time
off.
• After Storm 2006 did its damage, flooding caused KFOX to close
their studio. Victor Munoz, the IT Manager for KFOX, then called upon
Student Technology Services to help them get back on track. STS was asked
to help reinstall the staff computers and telephones. Early projections were
that the mission would take most of the day to complete, but STS helped
get the job done in less than two hours.
• STS participated in EPCC’s Information Technology Planning Session. The session
was to decide what are the IT needs of the college. An outcome of the session was the increased
demand for STS support. • STS was invited to Biz Tech, a technology exhibition at the Convention Center, where
they helped with supporting registration and showcasing exhibits.
• A new web software was implemented for
the college thanks to the Web Designer and Web
Page Staff. STS currently holds six positions on
the Web Page Staff and helped with converting
the old pages to the new software. The new web
page was launched November 20, 2006.
Varay, an information technology outsourcing
company, is currently in negotiations with STS. Our students will be placed within departments
such as Help Desk, Networking, and Technicians. We are excited about the opportunity to add another
partner to the growing list of STS/EPCC partnerships.
Accepting positions with El Conquistador and KCOS, STS is looking to offer its students
more opportunities for experience. Through extra recruiting
efforts and more enthusiastic students, STS has doubled from
25 to 50 students in the month of August with more students
applying everyday.
Students from STS accepted employment offers for IT
positions to start their professional careers. They were: Jason
Clarkson, IT Support at Petro; Claudia Garcia, Alpha Center
at EPCC; Juan Hernandez, IT Technician at Echo Star; Daniel
Herrera, IT Service Desk at EPCC; Adriana Montenegro, Help
Desk at Varay; Jose Murillo, Programming at PCI Software;
Fernando Portillo, Support Technician at Alltel; Rosario Urrutia,
Micro-support Unit at EPCC; and Valerie Villegas, Web Page at
EPCC.
STS said good-bye to two students looking to continue their studies at other universities. Sapora Bradley (Baylor University) worked with Mark Negrete, a producer at EPCC TV. Raul
Jaquez (UTEP) worked at the IT Service Desk. We all wish them the best with their studies and
future careers.
STS Management would like to thank its students for all their work, accomplishments,
and motivation. This program could not be a success without them.
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Banner Version 7 Handy Tips
by Ralph Silva
Information Technology
The Office of Information Technology’s (IT) mission is to provide the El Paso community
with the information technology leadership, services and support needed to achieve the College’s
goals. IT’s vision is that of an information technology environment which empowers students, faculty,
and staff to use technology creatively and effectively to achieve their goals. This environment will
have a standards-based architecture with secure, reliable infrastructure and services, and easy
access to information. IT will be focused on anticipating and meeting the needs of the community
in an efficient and effective manner, and will have the resources appropriate to its mission. The
values of IT staff include: customer focus and service, empowerment, open communication, and
a commitment to quality employee training. The Main Screen:
The Look and Feel of Banner 7
After successfully logging into Banner, the Main Screen will be displayed. There have been
some design changes and additional features added, but generally the screen has remained the
same. Users will notice the screen is divided into several sections designed to provide additional
functionality and ease of use. The main screen consists of:
• Menu Bar • Tool Bar (icons)
• Title Bar, with the current date displayed
• ‘Go To’ field
• Expanding folders for navigation to various forms
• Banner Broadcast Messages
• My Links
• My Institution
Navigating to a Form
Various Folders and Subfolders:
As in previous versions of Banner, users will be able to navigate to forms in several
different manners. Displayed on the left of the screen are various folder headings. To expand
the folders, simply left click on the folder with the mouse and the folder will expand to display
subfolders. This may not be the most efficient method of navigating to various forms, but it does
allow users to see all forms available. As the folders expand, users are able to navigate to forms
they use to complete various tasks. The descriptive name and the form name are displayed.
My Banner:
There is a quick way to access the forms you use most often. A feature that has been
available in several past releases of Banner is the ‘My Banner’ folder. This section provides the
user with the ability to store forms they use frequently and to either add or remove forms as
needed. The ‘My Banner’ Maintenance (GUAPMNU) form may be accessed in two different
ways. Users may enter in the ‘Go To’ field the form name GUAPMNU, or expand the ‘My Banner’
folder with a double click on the folder. The folder will then expand and show all items stored in
‘My Banner’.
On the left of the form is displayed all forms currently available in Banner. By default,
the forms are listed alphabetically by their Description. Users may change the sort to display by
Object name by selecting the circular arrow icon next to the Type field. To select a form or several
forms to add to your ‘My Banner’ folder, locate the form and double-click in either the Object or
Description field. This will change the lettering to blue. The form is now active and items can be
moved to the right-hand side of the screen by selecting the right facing arrow. If you know you
are going to add several forms to your ‘My Banner’, it is best to scroll through the list and select
them all at one time. Reason being, if you have scrolled through the list, made a single selection
and moved it to the “My Banner’ section the list will then default to the top. You will need to scroll
through the list again. To remove a form, double-click either in the Object or Description field to highlight the
entry and select the left facing arrow. This will remove the form from your ‘My Banner’ section. You may also query within the list. Place the form in query mode, by one of several methods, and
enter your query. An example may be to locate all finance forms. In the Object field, enter F%
(Continued pg. 4)
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Adobe Acrobat Training
Continues…
Rachel Viramontes
Acrobat is becoming more and more prominent at EPCC when it comes to the conversion
of College forms to Portable Document Format (PDF). As Information Technology (IT) continues
to promote the use of Adobe Acrobat Professional and offer training
on the use of the software, a second, two-day workshop was offered
on November 6 and 7, 2006 with 50 faculty and staff in attendance.
The request for training has been tremendous and we currently have
more than 60 employees on a waiting list for future training, which is
coming your way next in the Spring 2007 semester.
The trainer started off by highlighting the basic menus and
tools available and then focused primarily on the creation of PDF
“fillable” forms for the rest of the workshop. The Acrobat program is
very powerful and the two-day workshop only skimmed the surface
on the software’s capabilities. We hope to provide advanced training
in the future.
While Adobe Reader is free and can be downloaded from the web, it has very limited
capabilities when it comes to working with forms and form data. Adobe Acrobat Professional has
all the tools you’ll need to not only create the form, but also save your form data, and sign the
form “digitally” if you like. The software is available through the IT Service Desk by completing
an Adobe Software Request Form and pressing the “email” button once complete. The form,
which is available on the EPCC web by searching for “District Forms,” comes directly to me for
license tracking purposes and then a work order is generated.
Thank you to all those that have participated in the workshops and I’d also like to thank
our CIO, Fabiola Rubio, for funding this endeavor and supporting the need for valuable training
for the District. So... Thank You!
Employee of the Month-
Irma Velez
Irma Velez has been with the College close to 20 years
and has been with the Office of the Associate Vice President of
Instructional Resources and Technology for over 10 years. Irma
is well respected by all her colleagues and is a real asset to El
Paso Community College. Congratulations on being named December Employee of
the Month for the Administrative Services Center.
(Banner Tips continued) and execute the query. Displayed will be a listing of all forms beginning with F. If you know the
7 character name of the form, you are able to type it in the right portion of the screen under the
column heading Object. By selecting Tab, Enter, or using the down arrow on the keyboard the
form will be displayed in ‘My Banner’.
Please look for more Banner Version 7 Handy Tips in our next IT Newsletter.
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Congratulations
Dr. Girón
The EPCC family wants to congratulate Jenny Girón,
Associate Vice President of Instructional Resources and
Technology on her achievement. Dr. Girón recently received her
Doctorate in Philosophy from New Mexico State University. C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s D r. G i r ó n f o r y o u r a c a d e m i c
accomplishment.
Photo by Fernie Garcia
Why Should I Worry
About Spyware?
Richard Buller
Today, spyware constitutes 70 percent of all new threats to personal information. On the Internet,
spyware is programming that is put in someone’s computer to secretly gather information about the user
and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Most definitions declare spyware to be “advertising
supported software” or “adware”. Many users do not recognize spyware because all they can see is the
attractive advertisement for something free in return for clicking on a product’s link. The
“come-on” might be an interesting image, a set of icons, or a utility or Internet tool but the
purpose of getting you to click on their link is to begin the process of capturing information
about you and your Internet browsing habits. Your interests are worth money to those engaged
in Internet commerce.
Those “other interested parties” pose an even greater threat. Without your knowledge,
they will add programming to your computer which will capture your keystrokes with the
intention of gathering usernames and passwords for your different accounts. For example,
“Banking Trojans” will notice when you are logging into a financial institution and record
your account numbers as well as your login information and PINs. Other versions of spyware
with equally malicious intent might change the configuration of your security software, modify
your browser settings to redirect users to their own download sites, or make your computer
a part of a network of infected computers that can be directed to perform attacks on other
computers, servers, and networks anywhere in the world.
Spyware is not illegal. In nearly every case, that initial, voluntary mouse click by the computer
user invites the software to begin its tasks. And, of course, there is a great deal of legitimate advertising
on the Internet vying for your interest. Persons with a strong appreciation for the privacy of their personal
information quickly understand the potential for Internet advertisers to abuse their information but it is
very important that every computer user be aware of the possible damage this software can deliver. All
users of EPCC technology resources share the responsibility of protecting the confidentiality, integrity,
and the availability of College information. Avoid clicking on those appealing invitations for something
“free”, whether they come to you via email or you encounter them on the Internet.
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Employee of the Month-
Debby Toynes
Ms. Debby Toynes was selected as Employee of the Month
for December at the Valle Verde Campus. Debby has been with
the college family since 1980, and is well known at all 5 campuses
for her professionalism in telecommunications. She now works at
the Technology Resource Center. Congratulations Debby on your well deserved
recognition.
Photo by Fernie Garcia
Records Management Imaging
Dan Gaytan
Hardware and software engineering is in high demand. Hardware is the part of the
computer you see and work with everyday, like the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The CPU
gets its information from us through devices like our mouse, keyboard and microphone, and
transmits this information through devices like our monitor, printer, and speaker. The concept
of I/O, which means Input, Process and Output, is the basis of all information technology. Processing information is done by software. When we strike letters on our keyboard
to create words on our screen it is done by software. Software takes the information we enter
into our computer, like our writing, our music, our pictures, and converts them into 1 and 0 digits
that the computer understands. The CPU can then process this information further, before
transmitting, storing and managing who owns, changes and uses this data.
Software is logic. It is the brain telling the body, which is the hardware, what to do. When
we work with information technology we must not only know how this information is stored and
processed but also how it is transferred and grabbed by our customers. Are they getting the
information through a modem, wirelessly, DSL, T1, or OC-1-768, or are they grabbing it from a
Diskette, CD, DVD or Website? We, as information technology experts, must know our data. We must know how this
information is stored, processed, and accessed. As an imaging technology specialist and
programming analyst, it is my responsibility to make sure that the student’s paper given to the
front-desk of EPCC Financial Aid, to Admission, and to the Registrar’s offices are scanned,
processed, and stored, once deemed necessary for future processing by our customers. These
images, called objects, will be tied to the student’s ID.
EPCC is moving from physical storage to virtual storage of information. Moving to
paperless is a huge incentive - it will save the college community time, money, space, and most
important of all, trees. Welcome Newcomers
IT welcomes the following new employees to our team:
Carlos Mares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Service Desk Clerk
David Walker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Service Desk Clerk
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2006 Annual IT Planning Session:
Keep the Dream Alive!
Fabiola Rubio
The Information Technology Division held its 4th Annual IT Planning Session on October
11, 2006, and we were pleased to have more than 100 faculty and staff in attendance. Our
theme this year was entitled, “Keep the
Dream Alive,” and it came about following
the President’s focus and priority on the
“Achieving the Dream” initiative, which
is to improve student achievement by
eliminating barriers to success. Providing
the latest in equipment, support services
and technological advancements helps
eliminate barriers for our students and it
is always our mission and vision behind
everything we do.
In addition to representation at the
planning session from the IT Division, we
also had representation from students,
faculty, deans, counselors and other
departments from throughout the College
who provided valuable feedback and insight
as we looked at where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re headed. We revisited
the outcomes from last year’s planning session
for completion and success and also revisited our
mission, vision and goals that will guide us as we
develop a new IT Master Plan for the next three years
(2007-2009).
My number one reason for bringing everyone
together is so that the Division does not work
independently from the rest of the institution and
we obtain input from all areas and constituency
groups. In order for us to be successful, what we do
in IT must be broadly
understood within the
District as something that contributes to the College’s mission. More
specifically, technology planning and resources must be strictly
linked to institutional priorities.
With this in mind, it is my goal
to hold a college-wide planning
session in the next few months
allowing for more participation
and area-focused dialogue,
and recommendations for future
technological initiatives.
We look forward to hearing
from you on any issues, concerns, and items of interest that
you would like to share with the IT department. Our goal is to provide the support needed to
fulfill the college’s mission by placing our students first in everything we do.
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