2008 Woodie Awards
BANNER: increases security, headaches
Ivan Cason
Issue date: 3/23/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
As many students found out last week during enrollment, Central has switched to a new computer system.
The new system is called the Banner System and is projected to assist students in a multitude of tasks.
Clinton Vickers, assistant director of management information services, said Banner is an enterprise resource planning system (ERP), a comprehensive administrative software package.
According to the Central Student Portal, Banner will provide more self-service functions than the current student system.
Examples include resetting PINs, obtaining unofficial transcripts, reducing enrollment errors prior to choosing classes and offering new features for degree audits.
Banner will be available online for more hours than the current system when implementation is complete.
This change has not come overnight and there are still things to be done.
"We really started the process in the latter part of 2003, and we are in the latter part of the implementation," Vickers said.
One of the major tenets of the Banner system is that it will provide better services and security.
"One of the biggest things we are doing is moving away from using social security numbers to identify students," Vickers said.
The idea of privacy has been a big issue at Central.
Carol Nimmer, co-chair of implementation of the student model of Banner, said the potential of identification theft is always there, but having the Banner number will be more secure.
The switch to the new Banner numbers is also due in part to the increasing number of students electing not to use their social security numbers as their student IDs.
There are other benefits to this new system. Nimmer said Banner allows the sharing of information among the different offices and departments on campus.
Now the Banner system is used across campus, including the faculty and staff. This is a change from the previous system, which was actually several different systems used in different departments.
"Parts of the system we used before were no longer being supported," Nimmer said.
This meant Central had to find an alternative, and they chose the Web-based Oracle system, Banner.
The switch has been a long process and a major change, and with any major change comes frustration.
Brad Horn, computer-aided drafting major, said the new system seems to be more confusing and makes finding classes difficult.
However, Horn said he did like not having to use his social security number.
This concern over the new system came after many students in the Honors College were not allowed to enroll because of a last minute flaw in the system.
Nimmer said many students have appreciated the change, but with any new startup there are problems.
For more information, you may visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) portion on the Student Portal at www.cmsu.edu/portal/index.cfm?dsp=faq.cfm.
The new system is called the Banner System and is projected to assist students in a multitude of tasks.
Clinton Vickers, assistant director of management information services, said Banner is an enterprise resource planning system (ERP), a comprehensive administrative software package.
According to the Central Student Portal, Banner will provide more self-service functions than the current student system.
Examples include resetting PINs, obtaining unofficial transcripts, reducing enrollment errors prior to choosing classes and offering new features for degree audits.
Banner will be available online for more hours than the current system when implementation is complete.
This change has not come overnight and there are still things to be done.
"We really started the process in the latter part of 2003, and we are in the latter part of the implementation," Vickers said.
One of the major tenets of the Banner system is that it will provide better services and security.
"One of the biggest things we are doing is moving away from using social security numbers to identify students," Vickers said.
The idea of privacy has been a big issue at Central.
Carol Nimmer, co-chair of implementation of the student model of Banner, said the potential of identification theft is always there, but having the Banner number will be more secure.
The switch to the new Banner numbers is also due in part to the increasing number of students electing not to use their social security numbers as their student IDs.
There are other benefits to this new system. Nimmer said Banner allows the sharing of information among the different offices and departments on campus.
Now the Banner system is used across campus, including the faculty and staff. This is a change from the previous system, which was actually several different systems used in different departments.
"Parts of the system we used before were no longer being supported," Nimmer said.
This meant Central had to find an alternative, and they chose the Web-based Oracle system, Banner.
The switch has been a long process and a major change, and with any major change comes frustration.
Brad Horn, computer-aided drafting major, said the new system seems to be more confusing and makes finding classes difficult.
However, Horn said he did like not having to use his social security number.
This concern over the new system came after many students in the Honors College were not allowed to enroll because of a last minute flaw in the system.
Nimmer said many students have appreciated the change, but with any new startup there are problems.
For more information, you may visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) portion on the Student Portal at www.cmsu.edu/portal/index.cfm?dsp=faq.cfm.