Student Government responds to MUST II Concerns

By Student Body President Zach Golden

As we move into the third week of this semester, Claire and I have heard many concerns from students about the MUST II software update. This week, we will continue to voice these concerns to administrators so that the mistakes that were made are not repeated in the future. We will work hard to promote a solution that works for Mason students.

The first problem with the MUST II upgrade is that it was inadequately tested before being put into use. When the upgrade was made, the new software was not compatible with any internet browser other than Internet Explorer. The second problem was that several times throughout the week before school and the first week of school the system was completely shut down in an effort to troubleshoot the problems, causing a major inconvenience to students who live in the residence halls. And finally the third problem, which Broadside was quick to report two weeks ago, involves the capabilities of the new system. The system Mason chose to use for the upgrade is one designed for corporate networks, networks in which users do not own their computers and have very different privacy expectations.

It is important for our administrators in ITU to remember that for students who live on campus, the residence halls are their home. Not having internet access is not a minor inconvenience; it can be an academic, professional or social crisis. Today, our class instructors, work supervisors and friends rely on the internet to communicate with us, so shutting down the network as a temporary solution to technical problems is something that should never be taken lightly.

Selecting software that fits the unique needs of higher education institutions can be very difficult. Recently when Mason considered outsourcing their e-mail, a committee was established to evaluate the various options. This committee was extremely diligent in making sure that its recommendation took Mason’s unique needs into account. Unfortunately, it seems that such diligence was not given to selecting the software for the MUST II upgrade, and we ended up with a system more suited for corporate networks. It is important that in the future Mason’s unique needs are seriously considered when selecting new software.

Finally, Claire and I believe that given the unfortunate history of the MUST II system, its reimplementation (thankfully it was shut off on Wednesday, August 27) should be postponed until the beginning of the spring semester, after further testing. Since re-implementing the system will likely lead to more confusion and more internet outages, we believe that mid-semester is the worst time to do it considering students will be working on papers and communicating with course instructors. Hopefully, over the next few weeks we can work together to find an effective solution for everyone.