UMail Maintenance: Saturday, Nov. 21, 6 to 10 p.m.

UMail will be unavailable for users with NetIDs starting with 'e' through 'o' on Saturday, November 21 from 6 to 10 p.m. while OIT performs maintenance on our servers. During this maintenance window, UMail will also be unavailable for approximately 30 minutes for users with NetIDs starting with 'a' through 'd' and 'p' through 'z.' Incoming new mail will be queued for delivery after the service outage.

OIT Accepting Nominations for UMatter Awards

Nominate your favorite OIT staff member for a UMatter award. The UMatter program acknowledges the efforts and contributions OIT staff make to the UMass community. Online nominations will be accepted through November 30, 2009. more...

Undergraduates: Sign Up for Google Apps!

Sign up for Google Apps at UMass Amherst and get Google-powered email and much more. To sign up, log in to SPIRE, then go to Menu > OIT Accounts > Google Apps.
Google Apps Support Site | Log in to Google Apps

VPN Service Discontinued

Due to abuse, OIT has discontinued the Virtual Private Network (VPN) service intended for use with the UMass wireless network. For a secure wireless connection, use the UMASS-SECURE1X SSID. Faculty and staff who need VPN access for other purposes can contact the OIT Help Desk for information and instructions.

Having Trouble with Remote Printing?

If you experience problems with Remote Printing to the Learning Commons, uninstall the Pharos remote printing software from your computer, then install the latest version of the software.

Thesis Formatting & Statistics Software Workshops - Fall 2009

Registration is now open for our Thesis Formatting workshops, where you can learn how to format your manuscript to meet the Graduate School’s requirements for theses and dissertations. Register for our Statistics Software workshops to learn how to use SPSS or SAS to conduct statistical data analysis.

OIT Conducting 'Wireless Only' Pilot in Butterfield Hall

Starting this fall, the campus wireless network is in pilot in Butterfield Hall. Butterfield is one of the first residence halls to have wireless Internet, and the first 'wireless-only' building on campus. During this pilot, students will not be able to plug their computer or other device into a network jack.More...

What’s New at OIT - Fall 2009

We’ve been busy over the summer adding new services and making improvements to others. more...

Connect to the Wireless Network with UMASS-SECURE1X

OIT has launched a new, more secure and convenient, way to connect to the UMass Amherst wireless network - UMASS-SECURE1X. This new SSID (also known as a network name) is the recommended way to connect wirelessly on campus. more...

New SPARK Course Request Form

Starting on July 7, 2009, a new, more flexible way to request SPARK courses and register for SPIRE Grade Upload is available in SPIRE. more...

We're Hiring...

OIT is looking for Software Support Consultants, and Help Desk Consultants to assist students, faculty and staff with their day-to-day computing questions.

New to UMass Amherst? Activate Your OIT Account!

Your OIT Account gives you access to most technology resources on campus, including your official UMass Amherst email address, free and discounted software, and a lot more. Download OIT's checklist for new students and start crossing items off your list! more...

Ready for a new computer? Get a Discount with U$ave

The U$ave program provides competitive pricing on desktops, laptops, and other peripherals for Windows and Macintosh to students, faculty, and staff at all five UMass campuses. more...

UMass Amherst and Google Join to Offer Google Apps to Students

OIT is partnering with Google to launch “Google Apps at UMass Amherst,” a customized version of Google’s popular suite of online productivity and collaboration tools, including Gmail, designed especially for educational institutions. more...

Conficker Worm Warning for Windows Vista & XP April 01, 2009

A new version of Conficker, a worm that disables Windows security features, is expected to strike on Wednesday, April 1, 2009. We strongly recommend that you update your operating system and virus definitions, and run a full scan of your computer.more...

Upgrade Affects Features of the Administrative Phone System

OIT Telecommunication Services completed an upgrade of the campus telephone system on March 13, 2009. As a result of the upgrade, some features of the administrative phone system need to be re-activated. more...

Ruckus No Longer Available

The Ruckus service sponsored by the Student Government Association was shut down effective Monday, February 2, 2009 and is no longer available. Access to all Ruckus content expired over the last month. For more information about alternatives to Ruckus, see our Safe File-Sharing page.

Thesis Formatting Workshops - Spring 2009

Registration is now open for our Thesis Formatting workshops where you can learn how to format your manuscript to meet the Graduate School’s requirements for theses and dissertations. more...

We're Hiring...

OIT is hiring an undergraduate student Technical Consultant to support full-time staff and consultants in OIT Computer Classrooms.

Wireless Network Now Available Throughout the W.E.B. Du Bois Library

Thanks to expanded coverage, students, faculty, and staff with OIT Accounts can now access the wireless network on every floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library. more...

AT&T Cellular Discounts Now Available to UMass Amherst Students

OIT/Telecommunications has negotiated with AT&T to bring UMass Amherst students exclusive discounts on cellular phone plans, phones, and more. more...

Alert! Critical Update for Windows Computers December 10, 2008

Microsoft has just released updates which fix vulnerabilities in its operating systems and some applications. OIT strongly recommends that you run Windows Update to download and install these updates. For more information on the update, go to Microsoft Security Bulletin.

New Facebook & MySpace Virus Infecting Campus Windows Computers November 13, 2008

Be careful when clicking on video links in Facebook and MySpace! A new worm, Koobface, which spreads via these social networking sites, has infected a large number of Windows computers on campus. If you need help removing the worm, please contact the OIT Help Desk. more...

Download Class Rosters as Excel Files - BETA

Instructors can now download their SPIRE class rosters as Excel files. Note that this new SPIRE feature is still undergoing testing. more...

Alert! Critical Update for Windows Computers October 23, 2008

Microsoft has just released a patch which fixes vulnerabilities in all of its operating systems. It is critical that you run Windows Update to download and install this patch as quickly as possible to protect your computer and the campus network against a new and potentially serious virus. more...

Workshops for Faculty & Graduate TAs - October 2008

Registration is now open for Academic Computing's workshops for faculty and graduate TAs. Learn more about SPARK, Digital Images, Powerpoint, and other technologies. For a full list of offerings and to register, see our Faculty Workshop/Event Registration form.

UMail on the Web Now Available

Updated at 3:20 p.m. UMail on the Web is now available and stable. Although a new version of the interface was up for several hours this morning, unforeseen circumstances made it impossible for us to proceed with our planned upgrade. As a result, we have reverted to the old version. We appreciate your patience today and regret any disruption this may have caused.

Alert! New Phishing Emails Target UMass Amherst September 11, 2008

You may have received a message from Webmaster Administrator for the UMass Mail Upgrade. Do not respond! These emails do not come from OIT/UMass Amherst and have nothing to do with the planned upgrade for UMail. more...

What’s New at OIT -- Fall 2008

We’ve been busy over the summer working on new services and making improvements to others. more...

OIT Help Services Open On Labor Day

The OIT Help Desk, Software Support, and OIT Account Management will be open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM on Monday, September 1. Get help with your OIT Account, your Internet, and other computing issues.

Get Connected to the Campus Network at Netfest

OIT Netfest will take place at the Hampden Dining Commons between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM from August 31 through September 5. Get help with your OIT Account, register your computer on the campus network, and get security software to keep your system safe. Netfest Flyer (PDF, 413 KB)

Wireless in North Residential Area - PILOT

OIT is pleased to announce that the campus wireless network is now in pilot in the North Residential Area. more...

Request a SPARK Course in SPIRE

Instructors can now request SPARK courses, sign up for SPIRE Grade Upload, and check the status of their SPARK course requests in SPIRE. This replaces the SPARK course request process previously in use. more....

Apple Security Update Released

Apple has released a security update for its 10.4 and 10.5 operating systems. We recommend that you download and install this update via Software Update or from the Apple Web site.

Log in to Mobius with Your NetID After July 28, 2008

Beginning Monday, July 28, 2008, you must use your NetID (OIT Account user name) and password to log in to Mobius. more...

WebCT Campus Edition Officially Retired

WebCT Campus Edition (CE), was officially retired on July 1, 2008. WebCT CE was replaced by SPARK as the campus-wide learning management system in Fall of 2007. more...

Apple Quicktime 7: Update Released

Apple has released a critical update for the Quicktime media player, which improves its security and functionality. We recommend you download and install this update via the Apple Software Update utility or by downloading the latest version of the software from Apple.

Create Your Own Course OIT Account in SPIRE

Need a separate blog, UDrive or Web space for a class that you are teaching? Use the OIT Accounts area in SPIRE to create a course OIT Account. UMass faculty and staff can also use SPIRE to reset their OIT Account password(s) and create temporary wireless accounts for guests. more...

New to UMass? Activate Your Account!

All new students at UMass Amherst must activate their OIT Account before the beginning of the semester. Your OIT Account gives you access to the campus email system (UMail), which is used for all official University communications, and other computing resources on campus. more...

Extend Your UMail Account After You Graduate

Students leaving the University automatically get access to their UMail address for 6 months after their leave date. Use SPIRE to extend your UMail account for 6 additional months. Learn more....

Sync Your SPIRE Schedule with Your Favorite Calendar Software (Beta)

Students and instructors can now download their schedule from SPIRE, then import it into their preferred calendaring tool (e.g., Apple iCal, Microsoft Outlook.). Please note that this new SPIRE feature is still undergoing testing. more...

Use SPIRE to Subscribe to Campus Alerts

Students, faculty, and staff can use SPIRE to subscribe to Campus Alerts text messages, a new service that will provide emergency notifications directly to subscribers’ cell phones. Subscribe by April 30, 2008 and you're automatically entered to win one of five iPod Nanos. Campus Alerts Web site

OIT Moving CGI Scripts to a New Server

As of May 14, 2008, OIT will be hosting CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts on a new server and disabling access to the existing server. OIT’s CGI server hosts programming code associated with online forms on UMass Amherst course and department Web sites. more...

Apple Safari: Critical Update Released

Apple has released a major update for the Safari Browser, which improves its security and functionality. We recommend you download and install this update via the Apple Software Update utility or by downloading the latest version of the browser from Apple. Please note that OIT does not support the Safari browser on Windows computers.

New Link from SPARK to OWL in Testing Phase

The UMass Amherst Provost’s Office, the Office of Information Technologies (OIT), and the Center for Educational Software Development (CESD) have developed a link from the learning management system used for on-campus courses, SPARK, to our online homework tool, OWL. more...

Looking for an OIT Classrooms Computer?

Check out our new Computer Availability page, which gives you up-to-the-minute information on the number of computers available in OIT Computer Classrooms. Make sure you also check our classroom hours before going to a classroom.

New Resource for Instructors: Photo Rosters in SPIRE

Starting this Spring, the Photo Rosters for UMass Amherst courses will be available to all active instructors who earn their Security Certificate. These rosters feature students' UCard photos and are intended to support your teaching. Please make sure your students’ photos remain confidential at all times.

Discounts on Adobe Software for Faculty & Staff

For a limited time, UMass Amherst faculty and staff can purchase Adobe software for personal use at a significant discount through the Adobe Select program. The program is usually only open to students and includes software such as Adobe Acrobat Professional and Adobe Creative Suite. This offer had been extended through March 2008. more...

New Version of WinSCP Released - be sure to update!

WinSCP, the popular Windows FTP client, has received an important version update that makes the program more stable and secure. WinSCP is free and available for download from the Supported Software & Downloads section of the OIT site.

Take our Copyright Quiz!

During the '06-'07 school year, over 1400 members of the UMass community received notices of copyright violations from the RIAA or other copyright holders. Take our Copyright Quiz to learn how you can avoid copyright violations. Copyright Quiz