Orange Online: December 2024 Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all students via email on December 4, 2024.

At a Glance

Each month, Information Technology Services provides tech tips for the Orange community. Pressed for time? Here are this edition’s topics:

Tech To-Dos Before Graduation

Congratulations to all of our soon-to-be-graduates! On Answers, you can find an overview of how long you will retain access to University information technology resources after graduation (e.g., Microsoft 365 resources including your email and OneDrive, Google Workspace and more). It is important to migrate your University Google Drive data, as well as transfer ownership of any surveys you created in Qualtrics for faculty or staff who will need to use them in the future. To transfer ownership of a Qualtrics survey, send an email from your @syr.edu address to qualtrics@ot.syr.edu and name the specific survey(s) to be transferred and the new owner(s).

Course Feedback Window

Course feedback surveys for this semester are open through Dec. 11. You can access them via Blackboard (Tools) or directly in the course feedback system. Your responses are confidential, with no identifying information included in the reports, which are shared only after final grades are submitted. More Info.

Winter Break Travel Tip: MFA

If you will travel over winter break, remember to configure your multi-factor authentication (MFA) methods to ensure access to University accounts like email and Microsoft apps. ITS recommends downloading and setting up the Microsoft Authenticator app on the mobile device you will take with you to stay connected. Manage MFA.

“AI Day” Panel Discussion 

On Nov. 8, ITS invited our campus to “AI Day with Microsoft.” The morning panel featured University and Microsoft representatives discussing the opportunities and challenges of this transformative technology. Video. 

Research Computing Series

This semester’s Research Computing Series sessions featured Sarah Lucas, assistant professor of biology, and Younes Ra’di, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science. Video.

Holiday Cyber-Safety

The holiday season is a prime time for cybercriminals to strike. Beware of holiday scams such as phishing emails pretending to be from retailers or delivery services. As always, verify links before clicking. Never share your passwords or multi-factor authentication codes. Security Tips.

Presenting Accessibility

When leading presentations with visual content, consider audiences who cannot see the screen. For example, instead of saying, “Review the bullets on the slide,” read them aloud. Instead of saying, “Click here,” say, “From the navigation bar, select new event.” Learn More.

Helpful Resources

ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!