By MELISSA WALKER

Staff Writer

Additional measures are being made to prevent potential on-campus computer viruses and quarantine viruses that may occur in student computers on campus.

Danny Schales, Tech network administrator, said this program has another name that may be more appropriate in describing it.

"This is not a new security system," Schales said. "This is a policy enforcement. Now, students must keep their [computer's security system] up-to-date and it must be secure."

Schales said the new policy has three phases that will better the dorm network.

The first aspect of the program was started in late January.

"The first capability of the program is to detect a computer that is infected with a worm that is affecting other computers," Schales said. "The program will change the connection to a Web site that could help them rid the computer of the virus."

He also said this quarter marked the implementation of the second phase, registration.

"Students will be directed to a Web site that will allow them to log in," Schales said. "They can put their user ID and password in and it will automatically log them in. Every device has to be registered."

He said he is unsure about whether or not the necessity of registration will be a quarterly or annual task.

Schales said the third stage will be executed in the upcoming week.

"This phase determines if the computer is vulnerable to viruses," Schales said. "It will tell students why that is and how to help prevent the virus from occurring."

Schales said the reason these preventive measures are being taken can be explained by past complications.

"We have had problems with computers being almost useless due to viruses," Schales said. "Our goal is to have a smooth operating system."

He said there are still minor obstacles.

"There have been some problems, but I think about 2,000 students have registered," Schales said. "That is a pretty good percentage."

Heather Smith, a freshman nursing major, is one of the students who was affected by the change.

"[Registering] was really annoying," Smith said. "It was very inconvenient because it would not let me go anywhere on the Internet until I typed in my user ID and password."

Christen Reinowski, a senior accounting major, agreed with Smith.

"I wish I would have known about the change," Reinowski said. "I almost had a massive heart attack because I thought I had crashed my computer."

Despite the confusion, Reinowski said she appreciates Tech's effort.