OIT has made some improvements to UAF wireless networks! Starting July 16, they simplified the way to join the UAlaska wireless network, and added a new, improved, and faster UAGuest network.

OIT strives for continual improvement, and would appreciate any feedback you may have on this wireless upgrade.

UAlaska Authentication Changes

When you select the UAlaska wireless network on your device, you will be prompted to enter your username and password. �Use your UA Username (do not include @alaska.edu) and password. �If you have your device reconnect automatically you will only need to re-enter your password when you change your UA password via ELMO. You will no longer be forwarded to a website to authenticate every time you connect.

UAGuest Network

A new UAGuest wireless network is being introduced for guests on the Fairbanks campus. There is no need for any special account for guests to use UAGuest and users are limited to a 512Kbps wireless speed.

What if you use eduroam?

eduroam will continue to work as it does now, these changes do not affect eduroam and there is no action you need to take to continue using eduroam.

Question or Concerns?

The OIT Service Desk will be staffed at the Bunnell 230 location the following hours: Monday - Friday: 7:30AM-7:30PM and Saturday - Sunday: 10:00AM-6:00PM

Please contact the OIT Service Desk if you experience a problem with the new UAlaska or UAGuest networks, or need help connecting to them. OIT welcomes general feedback on this activity and the overall service of UAlaska or UAGuest.

We have a benefits app to help you keep all the benefits information, web sites and contact details in one place. Go to the App Store or Google Play and search for the BenefitLink app from Lockton Dunning. Get convenient access to your benefits information while you're on the go! Username is UofAlaska and the Password is benefits.

While you're looking for useful apps, be sure to download the Premera Blue Cross app for up to the minute access to claims information and the "mobile proof of coverage" to show your provider your Premera ID card information. Just use your Premera.com log in information to set up the app.

Premera's network of providers is growing! From April to June 2017, Premera added 29 new providers bringing the total number of contracted providers to 3,882. You can find a network provider by going to Premera.com and click on "find a doctor." You'll get the best results if you log in, but you can search as a visitor.

The new providers added recently can be found HERE.

In an effort to increase working relationships and foster better communication with the Risk Services office in Anchorage, Tim Edwards, SW Chief Risk Officer will be working in Fairbanks July 17-19 working in Suite 211, the phone number is 907-450-8172.� �The third Mon-Wed of every month thereafter will be Edwards' Fairbanks schedule.

Please contact him directly at tmedwards202@alaska.edu to schedule any meeting/discussion you may have concerning Safety and Health, Emergency Management, or Insurance.� Edwards will attend meetings scheduled during these times in person.

The Statewide Administration Assembly held a regular business meeting on Thursday, July 13. Below are� highlights from the meeting.

July SAA� Highlights

1. SAA heard updates from Director of Compensation Tara Fergson regarding changes to the annual leave cash-in program, the annual leave accrual cap, furlough, personal holidays, a new employee assistance program, and recent labor negotiations. Detailed HR updates are available in the meeting minutes. �
2. Representatives volunteered to serve on Staff Alliance committees for FY18: Staff Health Care, Compensation, and Morale.�
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3. SAA representatives reviewed their FY18 goals and set action items for each. Goals include increased staff engagement, transition planning for SAA, additional (optional) safety training for employees, supporting collaboration between departments and campuses, recording activities through a year-end report, and finding ways to increase staff morale.�
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4. SAA is collecting feedback on Strategic Pathways Phase 3 Options. SW employees can share their feedback in a Google Doc monitored by SAA. Feedback to SAA on Phase 3 options will be collected until Aug. 4, and then it will be shared with the Staff Alliance at their Aug. 11 retreat. �
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5. SAA is considering forming a Safety Committee to address personal, physical, cyber and environmental safety issues/risks. They will continue the discussion at their Aug. 10 meeting.�

SAA will meet next on Thur sday, August 10, in Butrovich 204 in Fairbanks and Bragaw 210 in Anchorage. All staff are encouraged and welcome to attend. Reach out to� SAA​representatives to share your ideas and/or concerns. Additional information about SAA meetings is available on their� website .

EDir Decommissioning Announcement

EDir is the Enterprise Directory used by the University of Alaska Statewide and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The University of Alaska Statewide, Office of Information Technology, will decommission EDir by Februrary 1, 2018. The decommissioning project timeline involves having every EDIR-dependent service transferred, reconfigured, redesigned or retired by January 1, 2018 .

Request for Action

If you know of an EDir-dependent service, please contact the project manager or project team member with whom you work to support your service. The team member table is provided on the project announcement�website linked below. Ensure that the team member has planned for the impact to your service and is prepared to implement or assist you in implementing changes to your service.

To learn more please visit the project announcement website: �https://www.alaska.edu/oit/edir/

Who Else Is Online?�Social media sites are not well-monitored playgrounds with protectors watching over you to ensure your safety. When you use social media, do you think about who might be using it besides your friends and connections? Following are some of the other users you may encounter.

• Identity thieves.�Cybercriminals need only a few pieces of information to gain access to your financial resources. Phone numbers, addresses, names, and other personal information can be harvested easily from social networking sites and used for identity theft. Cybercrime attacks have moved to social media, because that’s where cybercriminals get their greatest return on investment.
• Online predators.�Are your friends interested in seeing your class schedule online? Well, sex offenders or other criminals could be as well. Knowing your schedule and your whereabouts can make it very easy for someone to victimize you, whether it’s breaking in while you’re gone or attacking you while you’re out.
• Employers.�Most employers investigate applicants and current employees through social networking sites and/or search engines. What you post online could put you in a negative light to prospective or current employers, especially if your profile picture features you doing something questionable or “less than clever.” Think before you post a compromising picture or inflammatory status. (And stay out of online political and religious discussions!)

How Do I Protect My Information?�Although there are no guaranteed ways to keep your online information secure, following are some tips to help keep your private information private.

• Don’t post personal or private information online!�The easiest way to keep your information private is to NOT post it. Don’t post your full birthdate, address, or phone numbers online. Don’t hesitate to ask friends to remove embarrassing or sensitive information about you from their posts, either. You can NEVER assume the information you post online is private.
• Use privacy settings.�Most social networking sites provide settings that let you restrict public access to your profile, such as allowing only your friends to view it. (Of course, this works only if you allow�people you actually know�to see your postings — if you have 10,000 “friends,” your privacy won’t be very well protected.)
• Review privacy settings regularly.�It's important to review your privacy settings for each social networking site; they change over time, and you may find that you’ve unknowingly exposed information you intended to keep private.
• Be wary of others.�Many social networking sites do not have a rigorous process to verify the identity of their users. Always be cautious when dealing with unfamiliar people online. Also, you might receive a friend request from someone masquerading as a friend. Here’s a cool hint — if you use Google Chrome, right-click on the photo in a LinkedIn profile and choose Google image search. If you find that there are multiple accounts using the same image, all but one is probably spurious.
• Search for yourself.�Do you know what information is readily available about you online? Find out what other people can easily access by doing a search. Also, set up an automatic search alert to notify you when your name appears online. (You may want to set alerts for your nicknames, phone numbers, and addresses as well; you may very well be surprised at what you find.)
• Understand the role of hashtags.�Hashtags (#) are a popular way to provide clever commentary or to tag specific pictures. Many people restrict access to their Instagram accounts so that only their friends can see their pictures. However, when someone applies a hashtag to a picture that is otherwise private, anyone who searches for that hashtag can see it.

My Information Won’t Be Available Forever, Will It?�Well, maybe not forever, but it will remain online for a lot longer than you think.

• Before posting anything online, remember the maxim “what happens on the web, stays on the web.”�Information on the Internet is public and available for anyone to see, and security is never perfect. With browser caching and server backups, there is a good chance that what you post will circulate on the web for years to come. So: be safe and think twice about anything you post online.
• Share only the information you are comfortable sharing.�Don’t supply information that’s not required.�Remember:�You have to play a role in protecting your information and staying safe online. No one will do it for you.