Terry Calhoun, IT Trends Commentator
Society for College and University Planning (SCUP)
University of Michigan

If You Want Information to Stay in the Deep Web, Use Technology—Not Lawyers

Imagine our world in 2004 if everyone who published a Web site or transmitted an e-mail newsletter (like this one) with a hyperlink in it was legally required to obtain “permission in writing” from the owner of the page at the other end of the hyperlink. That might sound absurd to you, but it wasn’t that long ago that there were movements to require such permission. There are still a few people out there who are outraged at the thought that others are linking to pages deep inside their Web sites without asking permission first.

The issue bubbles to our attention every couple of years and I think it’s going to bubble up again later this year. Why? Because some companies are working hard to explore the Deep Web and bring to light information many of us think of as “hidden.”

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Microsoft Urges IE Upgrade Following Code Leak

Most of the security issues that might arise from the recent Windows source code leaks can apparently play out in Internet Explorer. Microsoft suggests that anyone still using IE 5.x or IE4.x should replace them immediately with IE6 Service Pack 1....
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U. Delaware Changes ID Process to Secure Web Sites

Instead of SSN and personal identification number (PIN), users will be able to use an UDel NetID and password, and after August will be required to stop use of SSNs....
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U. Pennsylvania Undergrads Push for Opt-in Facebook

Facebooks appear to be a growing trend, and it won't be the student governments that have to deal with the privacy and other issues....
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USC Teams up to Build Multilingual Downtown Cybercafes

The cybercafes, staffed by students bilingual in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Tagalog and Armenian, are expected to serve elderly adults in a study of their attitudes toward aging and technology....
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Laptops Can be Checked Out at U. Alabama Libraries

Students like and use the program, which lets them check out laptops connected to the local wireless network for two hours at a time. ....
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NYU Implementing New Student Number System by Fall

After some embarrassing recent security lapses, NYU is moving from using student social security numbers and pins to a new alphanumeric system. But the move d'esn't look easy to do. ...
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Issues of identity Theft Arise on U. Pennsylvania Campus

Some professors accidentally still ask for and post social security numbers and students seem unaware that they should never provide the full number......
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Nittany Napster Gets Mixed Reviews from Students

Usage by 9,000-plus students so far exceeds 100,000 tunes a day. But a major complaint is unavailability of some sought-after tunes. ...
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Louisiana College Students Tapping into Online Courses

As many as 30,000 college students will take online courses in Louisiana this year, choosing from more than 700 offerings and even 14 online degree programs. ....
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Student Government Web site at U Connecticut Hacked

The unauthorized access has raised questions about using the site for forthcoming student elections....
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Harvard Network Crashes Twice, Affects Residential Students

The problem was a routing table error that had not previously been seen before, according to the hardware manufacturer....
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What’ll They Dream Up Next: RF Tags on Frisbees

Who would have thought that the most info-tech-related entrant in the University of Wisconsin’s 10th Annual Innovation Days engineering competition involved using RFID to help disc golfers locate lost discs?....
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Mexico-Stanford-Reuters Fellowship Accepting Apps

Mexico's Institute for Telecommunications (INTTELMEX) will sponsor two scholarships for Digital Vision Fellows from Latin America at Stanford University for the 2004-5 school term. INTTELMEX joins the Reuters Foundation as a supporter of the program, which focuses on social entrepreneurship. DV Fellows research the needs and requirements of developing world communities, identify the best technology implementation choices, create proof-of-concept prototypes, and develop sustainable business models. DV Fellows have "Visiting Scholar" privileges at Stanford, including the ability to audit academic courses. The application deadline is March 15, 2004. Twelve Fellowships will be awarded on May 17, 2004.....
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Community College Turns to Gateway For Wireless

San Juan College, in the Four Corners region of northeastern New Mexico, has chosen Gateway, Inc. to build out its wireless network. San Juan was provided with more than 100 Gateway 450 notebooks with built-in 802.11a/g connectivity as part of the rollout. The college currently uses four Gateway mobile labs, consisting of 74 notebooks that can be moved from classroom to classroom. The mobile labs augment Gateway desktops and Gateway Profile PCs, already in place in many classrooms and buildings at the college.

SunGard Completes Acquisition of SCT

SunGard announced it had completed its acquisition of Systems & Computer Technology Corporation (SCT) for approximately $590 million in cash. SCT supports more than 1,300 institutions in higher education and 8 million learners worldwide. SCT will be renamed SunGard SCT Inc., becoming the largest operating unit of SunGard Higher Education and Public Sector Systems. Mike Chamberlain will continue as SunGard SCT's president and chief executive officer, reporting to Bob Clarke, group chief executive officer of SunGard Higher Education and Public Sector Systems.