E-mails sent to junk folder by error

By Dustin Porter
Electronic News Editor
Oct. 1, 2009

Students saw many changes in Bravemail this year, such as 20GB of storage space, group working, calendars and mobile phone compatibility. But, they also found some incoming campus mail being placed into the “junk” folder.

Most students on campus reported to DoIt that their important notifications, documents and updates from professors, counselors, or other important people on campus, were being placed into the junk mail folder on their Bravemail accounts.

Dr. Robert Orr, associate vice chancellor for Information Resources and Chief Information Officer, said that the problem was because of upgrading to enhanced email provided by Microsoft.

Before the upgrades, UNCP incoming mail would have been accepted, Dr. Orr said, because of the “white list,” or a list of domains that Bravemail filters as good mail that should be placed in the inbox rather than the junk folder.

According to Dr. Orr, all was good and well until Microsoft decided to conduct their 100 upgrades or more. With all of the new features, Microsoft could not help but make mistakes. Now that students can access Bravemail on their mobile phones, make notes on calendars, work on group projects and practically anything else under the sun, there are bound to be problems.

Basically, Microsoft forgot that UNCP domain mail should be on the white list. UNCP did not help the problem by sending out so many e-mails a day.

“Microsoft just looked at the number of e-mails and figured junk mail domain,” Dr. Orr said.

As a solution, Dr. Orr posted instructions telling students how to filter the mail themselves on the Braveweb homepage.

“Just a couple clicks and the problem is fixed,” Dr. Orr explained.

The problem seems to be under control now, but if there are any students still experiencing problems, they can use Dr. Orr's instructions and correct the issue before they miss out on any major news from the campus, such as copyright violations.

“Students need to be aware that they are being watched,” Dr. Orr stated firmly.

What does that mean?

Big time entertainment companies are monitoring not only the students on UNCP but anybody and everybody who has access to the Internet. Warner Brothers, the Recording Industry Association of America Inc., and Universal Studios are just the tip of the iceberg.

“I get five to 20 notices each day,” Dr. Orr said. Students need to know how serious this matter is and how easy it is to be prosecuted.

What exactly are the industries looking for? Any peer to peer file sharing, illegal downloading, or any copyright infringement.

Dr. Orr said that the same federal law that regulates financial aid requires UNCP to let these big entertainment companies monitor the campus.

How do they know?

When a student, or anybody in the country, downloads a file illegally, they instantly register their IP address, which then notifies the entertainment industry, who then notifies Dr. Orr, who then will notify the student that they committed a copyright violation.

“I don't want to see a student face criminal charges over something like a music

So far nobody has faced criminal charges or lawsuits, but students should be warned that repeat offenders are not taken so lightly. Dr. Orr described a case at another campus where a student was fined $500,000.

UNCP is already working on a solution.

The campus is putting together a website that informs students of any free legal downloads in the world and where to find them. So far the site is still under construction, but if any student has information or wants to help, contact Dr. Orr.