Prairie View A&M University’s Information Technology department has recently completed its campus-wide installation of the Clean Access program on Feb. 17.
After being under construction for the duration of last semester, the virus-free program that started in the residential areas on campus has now managed to expand campus wide, which, according to Chief Information Officer Luis-Pablo Grijalva should be considered a positive thing.
Grijalva explained, “This program is designed to protect your computer on campus. Students need to be aware of viruses and make sure upgrades and spy ware are up to date. With the completion of the program, access to anti-virus programs should be more accessible, but it is ultimately up to the individual to keep track of the status of their computer software.”
To assist students with issues on software updates, the IT department has assembled the Clean Access Service Center in room 106 of the S.R. Collins building.
According to Director of Academic Technology Sally Stevenson, the purpose of the Clean Access Service Center is to assist students who are having trouble installing Clean Access on their personal laptop computers, as it is ultimately the users responsibility to make sure their laptops meet the PVAMU requirements to access the PVAMU wireless network.
This lab is a designated area where students are welcomed to gain assistance with software updates, anti-virus installations, and even get their computers re-booted. Although the services that IT provides through the service center are free, any computer system requiring additional assistance may require a cost from a company separate from the university. If this is the case, Stevenson notes that the IT department does provide students with discounts to other companies.
According to the IT department’s login statistics, students on the campus of PVAMU have been taking advantage of the Clean Access Service Center. Reports dating from Jan. 19 to Feb. 17 show that IT has assisted 466 students with the installation of Clean Access. Of those 466 students, 246 students were able to successfully install the program. The other 220 students who were unable to gain access due to incompletion of operating upgrades or non-installation of anti-virus software on their systems, were provided temporary access codes and advised to seek additional assistance from local companies. Of those numbers, only two students who were given temporary access codes and were in need of additional assistance returned with clean computers, which enabled them to download Clean Access and have their network restrictions removed.
Login reports indicate that reasons for updates not being installed range from students having corrupt systems, to students’ systems having outdated software and in need of brand new anti-virus programs.