[geeks] Mandatory password changes

[Aaron Finley]

There was a letter in our collegiate paper today, this is concerning
new policy here that one will have to change their password next year
and then on a regular yearly rotation. Just to add to the context, if
someone has someone elses password here, they can withdraw them from
the university and late drop all their courses in about ten clicks.

[qoute]
Letter to the Editor
Student reader vents on new password regulation

With the recent requirement for students to change their user ID passwords
for access to electronic media such as Webmail, [CMS] and [Registrar],
I just thought I'd take a minute or two to vent my frustrations about
this new, ridiculous concept.

First of all, why regulate students' password security? It should be
up to the student to change his or her passwords if he or she chooses
to do so. If someone wishes to share his or her password with someone
else, let them. It's obvious that this whole ordeal is only meant to
show the administration's depth of control over the student
population. Why else would they waste valuable man hours in the IT
department and valuable research dollars on advertising. It's no
wonder our student governing body was overthrown last year, and we
have no influence on any of the formal decisions made by this
administration because they know that no matter what, there will be
43,000 people handing over thousands of dollars in tuition the next
year.
[end qoute]

Good grief. What large rock do people like this crawl out from? I sent
him an e-mail, telling him he should hope that none of his prospective
employers pre-screen via the internet, as this letter comes up as the
third result on Google for his name.

-- Aaron Finley