By Teri Sue Heinsman

It’s cluttered, it’s confusing, and it’s hard to use, so why bother? Rusty Bruns, the chief information officer says he understands, “We realize that the pages are busy,” and they are trying to make it easier to use. But in the meantime, what are we supposed to do?    

       
First of all, it’s confusing to even log onto My CSU. It seems that every different Web page has a different log in and pin code; how are we supposed to keep them all straight? Fortunately, this is realized and on the bottom of the My CSU main page it tells you to enter your ID number and pin code. These pin codes can be changed once you log on the first time, which is very useful. All you have to do is log on and click on the Personal Info link. This is probably one of the most overlooked links on the My CSU Web page according to Gene Houghtaling, the information application specialist who is mainly in charge of My CSU. 

The Personal Info link is located right next to your name at the top of the page once you’ve logged in. On this page, you can enter your preferred name which will then be approved and loaded into the system; it will not change official records, but it still makes life easier. Also, if you click on the password link, you can change your password to whatever you want to change it to; however, do not change it to anything longer than six characters. If your new password is more than six characters, only enter the first six when you log onto the financial aid page.

Bruns informed me that they are working to make My CSU easier to use. They have created an audio PowerPoint that takes users through the steps and features of My CSU. They have also developed a committee to make My CSU easier to use. After this committee has met, they will offer 10 to 15 minute training sessions for students to really be able to understand the full features of My CSU.         

 So far, my favorite aspects of My CSU are the Convocation credit postings and the fact that my schedule is right in my student tab. To check the amount of Convocation credits that you have acquired, click on the student tab. There, right in the middle, you will see your schedule, very helpful for the beginning of semesters. On the lefthand side there is a link that says “Total Convocation Credits.” There you can check how many credits you have, although it takes a couple days for the credits to show up.          

Why My CSU? It’s worth it to wait through the kinks. In the midst of frustration, don’t give up, it will get better. Bruns said, “My CSU has become its own entity.” And they are, “playing catch-up” to get everything up-to-date. In the few short months that My CSU has been around, it has exploded, and it will only get better from here on out. Try it; you just might discover that it isn’t as bad as it seemed at first.

Speaker – Sujo John

September 10, 2008

4pm in the Gold Room

One man’s survival on 9/11.

For more information visit SujoJohn.com

Sponsored by Campus Ministries.

By Zach Jennings

So, most students know about the Immediate Response Information System, IRIS, here at CSU, but how much do you know about it really?

How about it is run by the company TechRadium? You did? Okay, then how about the Chief Information Officer is Rusty Bruns? You knew that to? Okay, then fine, you won’t know this one: “IRIS is the most complete notification system around which allows for the timely exchange of information by phone, text messages, and e-mail, and generates reports that summarize when calls are made and even if a machine or human answered,” said Brian McGlothlin, communications manager.

 How does IRIS work?Well to put it in semisimple terms, IRIS works by including seven points of contact for  every student, faculty, and staff member in a database complied here at the University.  This database is then sent to TechRadium in Texas where our account is hosted.

They do more than that when it’s needed, like “when the need arises for an alert to be sent, the University has 12 prewritten messages with blanks that allow for personalization of that individual event,” said McGlothlin.

 How do you update your information?

There are some people who most likely don’t know how to update their information: I’m one of them…or was one of them…anyway if you don’t know how to update your information here’s how to do it step by step.

 1.    Students can access their information from the CSU home page and make changes or update their seven points of contact at the IRIS button at the top of the CSU Web site or go directly to the link at www.irisdispatch.com/users<P>
2.    After you go to the Web site you need to log in and “your username is your ID number preceded by the letters “CSU” (e.g. If your ID number is 9999, then your username would be csu9999)”
3.    Now your password should be “your full birth date formatted as mmddyyyy (e.g. If your birth date is 01/01/1989, then your password would be 01011989)”<P>  That’s all you need to know on how to access your information in the IRIS system. Even if you did know all about this already it’s good to have a memory update! <P>If you have further questions, e-mail McGlothlin at bmcglothlin@csuniv.edu.