Optional Attendees in Google Calendar

Have you had a meeting where some of the attendees are optional?  Perhaps you want to make an appointment that you would like your supervisor to come to but only if they want to?  Google Calendar allows you to add optional attendees.  All you do is click on the person icon to the left of the person's name.  Black means mandatory, white means optional.  See pictures below.

Mandatory:

Optional:

Manhattan College joins ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT Campaign

Manhattan College has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT Campaign by enabling power management on over 450 computers and monitors directly managed by ITS. This simple step will help reduce the nation's growing demand for electricity, save money, and help fight global warming.  These computers will now enter sleep mode after an hour of inactivity.  Waking the computer from sleep takes the push of a button and takes seconds to power up.

“I’m excited that Manhattan College has committed to reduce power consumption through this pledge and that ITS is at the forefront of this initiative", said Richard Musal, Assistant Director for Client Services and Operations.  

If all office computers and monitors in the U.S. were set to sleep when not being used, the country could save more than 44 billion kWh or $4 billion worth of electricity and avoid the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of about 5 million cars each year.

Manhattan College joins the ranks of leading businesses and organizations who are participating in the ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT Campaign, including Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dell, Inc., Fox Entertainment Group, Inc., HP, and Microsoft.

“I think that the steps taken to actuate this pledge underscore Manhattan College’s commitment toward sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint” said Jake Holmquist, Director of Information Technology Services.

Power management enables computers and monitors to go into a low-power sleep mode after a period of inactivity. Power management has the potential to save up to $ 50 per computer annually. Despite the significant savings, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, only a scant five to ten percent of U.S. organizations have deployed these settings on computers.

If you are interested in finding out how to enable your computer's power save settings, please contact Client Services for more information at its@manhattan.edu or (718) 862-7973.

Overlook online - wired network issue resolved. Wireless unaffected.

IT'S was notified at approximately 1PM of a network issue affecting users In the overlook manor residence hall. It was determined that the issue was caused by a failed battery power backup system affecting only wired Internet connections. Wireless access and network building control and security systems in overlook remained unaffected since it was powered by a redundant power source.

Full service was restored by approximately 4PM. Users experiencing issues should contact client services by dialing x7973 and leave a message or email its@manhattan.edu

Telephone System Upgrade - Handset Replacement Schedule

The final phase of the campus telephone system upgrade will be completed over the next week and a half - between 3/14 and 3/22.  During this time telephone system installers will be replacing user telephone handsets (the phone on your desk).  Users will not need to be present to have their telephone handset replaced.



Basic functions of the new phones will work the same as your current phone - such as dialing, hold, and speakerphone.  For more advanced features - including voicemail - you may need to refer documentation provided or attend a training session via this link - http://itsblog.manhattan.edu/p/telephone-system-upgrade-2013.html

There will be an announcement the week of 3/18 providing instructions on how to access the new voicemail system.  Users will be required to activate their new voicemailbox.  Optionally, you will be able to enable and configure advanced features such as voicemail-to-email.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation throughout this upgrade.

Telephone System Upgrade - Coming Soon.....

To prepare for the planned telephone system upgrade happening over Spring Break, Information and Training sessions will be held throughout the week of 3/11-3/15.  4-5 sessions will be scheduled per day lasting up to 1-hour.  Sessions will focus on changes from the existing phone system as well as explanations of new features including voicemail-to-email notification.

A signup-form is available to register for a training session:  CLICK HERE

As part of the planned telephone system upgrade, new telephone handsets will be distributed to all users.  These handsets will be on display at the information/training sessions and users will have the opportunity to try them out and ask questions.  The goal of the upgrade was to ensure all campus users had a consistent, modern set of equipment and features.  Images of  these phones are below:

The majority of the work to complete the telephone system upgrade will happen the week of 3/18.  During this time some telephone services may be unavailable to campus users.  Installers will also take this opportunity to replace existing telephone handsets in all campus locations with a modern telephone handset similar to the photos above.  Upon completion of the upgrade, users will need to update their voicemail settings and greeting - a task that may be completed in advance when attending a training session.

We are looking forward to a smooth transition to this new system and the new features including voicemail-to-email notification.

MyMC Update You Spoke We Listened

On February 11th we announced a change to the default home page in computer labs from manhattan.edu to MyMC.  We received feedback that you all missed the quick links from the manhattan.edu page.  We heard you and updated the MyMC page accordingly.  Wednesday morning the MyMC page will again be the default page in the computer labs.  Please provide feedback utilizing the MyMC Feedback form on the MyMC Home page.   

**Due to a limitation in Google Chrome, MyMC is not the default homepage if you open Google Chrome in the computer labs.

New Finance Lab in DLS

There have been a lot of renovations going on around campus.  One of the greatest achievements is the creation of a Finance Lab for the School of Business in DLS 210.  Many of the features of this lab were designed to mimic the professional instruments future alums will see in the financial industry.  The lab is outfitted with a full sized real-time stock ticker, two large flat panels TV's with scrolling financial data, and HP 8200 series desktops with 22" dual monitors.  The desktops are equipped with Morningstar Direct, financial software that allows students to access industry-standard market data and analytics tools.  ITS is proud to have been a part of this project.

Dr. Topyan lecturing in the newly renovated Finance Lab.  The lab includes a real-time stock ticker!

Professor Chia-Jane Wang had this to say about the new renovation:
"I'm happy to be able to teach in this state-of-the-art finance lab. The LED stock ticker screen, real-time stock quotes and headline news altogether create a dynamic and exciting atmosphere for our students to learn finance. Also, the lab is equipped with Morningstar Direct, which contains global data for stocks, ETF, mutual funds and hedge funds and enable students to build analytical skills using the data and test concepts learned in the classroom."

One of the dual monitors is set vertically for easy viewing of the lab's financial software.

The lab includes two large flat panels that display real-time market data and financial news networks.

Update to Client Services Hours of Operations Page

We have updated our Hours of Operations Page to give a better indication of coverage throughout the day.  As you can see there are periods where we have more or less coverage.  Check it out here:
https://manhattan.edu/academics/client-services-hours