Some students logging on to their PAWS account this week may have noticed a red-lettered warning about spam in the guise of University broadcast e-mails.
The Chemistry Department first reported these e-mails April 29. The e-mails include the subject line “Schedule Update” and imply the University endorses a certain kind of teeth whitener.
Defined as high volume e-mail solicitation that is not appreciated or offensive, this incidence of spam is not the first and certainly not the last.
Ron Hay, executive director of LSU Computing Services, said spam e-mails are certainly nothing new to the University system.
“We see this all the time. Usually, they don’t have access to a lot of our names and e-mail addresses like they did,” Hay said.
Normally, when spammers are found on the University system, they are warned and desist, but officials warn users should be wary any e-mail may not be as it seems.
Biological sciences freshman Jeremy Crider says he saw the notice on PAWS but didn’t understand its purpose.
“I sure haven’t gotten it, and I don’t know anyone else who has,” Crider said.
Many students said they read the warning but were confused because they hadn’t received the e-mail.
“I haven’t gotten anything like that, and I usually read the LSU broadcast e-mails,” said communication disorders junior Beth Waters.
Manager of Electronic Messaging Janet Shih said there is no way to tell how many students received the e-mail.
“Spammers like that simply put a bunch of names in front of an @lsu.edu address and hope they strike gold,” Shih said. “We try to block them, but students are very careless with their e-mail addresses.”
Spam is a growing problem across the nation and not just on college campuses, Hay said.
Hay said Louisiana has followed many states in passing spam legislation, but the laws are not tough enough to deter every spammer.
Mass communication freshman Natalie Ross said her PAWS inbox rarely has spam.
“Just like any kind of [solicitation], you don’t want it,” Ross said. “I don’t usually give out my LSU address so I don’t have to worry about spam as much.”
Hay said protection of privacy is one of the University’s top priorities, but sometimes spammers bulk-address e-mail.
“We try to block them, but whenever we block one URL, they simply change to another one,” he said
Many students expressed opinions similar to those in the recent LSU Directory debate.
“It’s sad when the University can allow any random person to have access to all of our e-mail addresses,” said political science junior Jeff Carter.
Shih offered tips to protect students’ security, such as creating a separate e-mail account to give out over chat rooms and at Web sites. Shih said Internet sites such as www.hotmail.com offer completely free e-mail that can help students keep spam out of their LSU e-mail accounts.
“Students don’t realize it’s easy for their e-mail addresses to get passed around through chat rooms to instant messenger and all the other interactive aspects of the Internet,” Shih said. “You have to be careful.”