Mandi Mooney
Assistant Editor/Web Administrator
Milligan’s Information Technology department announced earlier this week that a filter has been placed on the e-mail server in an attempt to block the large amount of spam being sent to Milligan addresses.
“In the first 24 hours, we blocked 55 percent of incoming messages,” said Director of Information Technology Mike Smith, “I know other schools that use it block 60 to 65 percent of their messages.”
The IT staff has been researching filters since September. They have spent that time looking at different filters to block spam. Smith received permission from Academic Dean Mark Matson on Monday to go ahead and try using the spam filter.
“It is an evaluation, and we are having really good success with it,” Smith said.
Spam, which is defined as unsolicited e-mail that is sent to multiple people has become a worldwide problem. About 50 percent of all e-mail sent may be classified as spam. Since the filters have been installed, the amount of spam entering campus has already been greatly decreased, especially spam to faculty and staff e-mail addresses. Their mailboxes receive more spam that the student mailboxes because the faculty and staff addresses are posted on the Milligan Web site.
The system the IT department chose to test and evaluate allows an large amount of freedom and flexibility. Faculty and students have the option of asking that they system be overridden and to be allowed to receive their spam.