DeKALB | Information Technology Services imposed a solution to help students find an open computer in a campus computer lab.

“The thought is that it would be easy to make a sensible policy on computer usage, but it would be virtually impossible to enforce,” said Faculty Senate president Paul Stoddard at its meeting Wednesday.

The solution presented by ITS gives the lab attendant access to software that provides information about what computer labs on campus have open computers, Stoddard said.

ITS implemented the software as a response to complaints students made in the fall semester about being unable to find an open computer in the labs.

Addressing concerns expressed by the Faculty Senate, the software should be able to flag computer labs that are reserved for class usage, to avoid sending students to labs with unoccupied computers that have a class in session, Stoddard said.

Faculty Senate also discussed another complication with PeopleSoft, a system that provides complete encumbrance accounting, effective dated personnel transactions and payroll features regarding NIU finances.

Due to an incompatibility with the PeopleSoft software NIU will use starting in Fall 2008, graduate classes will be renumbered, according to literature accompanying the meeting agenda.

PeopleSoft is incompatible with using single 400-level courses for undergraduate and graduate courses, according to the literature. The more cost-effective solution will create 500-level companion courses to match the 400-level courses. Meanwhile, existing 500- and 600-level courses will be renumbered accordingly with 600- and 700-level courses.