Across ITS teams, student employees play a vital role in helping the University of Rhode Island deliver exceptional support and services. As the academic year comes to a close, we’re proud to celebrate the achievements of our graduating student workers from the Service Desk, Networking, Endpoint Support, and beyond. Their contributions have left a lasting mark – and we’re excited to see what’s next for each of them!

ITS Research Computing

Cecile Cres: A Leader in Genomics and AI
For the past three years, Cecile has been an integral part of Research Computing, leveraging her expertise in genomics and artificial intelligence to support computing efforts within the College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS). Her dedication has helped researchers navigate complex computational challenges, making significant contributions to biological data analysis and high-performance computing (HPC) workflows. We are thrilled that Cecile will continue her work as part of the Research Computing staff at URI.

Madhu Kekulandara: Advancing Innovation, Cloud & Research Computing
Madhu has played a key role in research computing, innovation, and cloud technologies, supporting ITS efforts to enhance HPC, cloud-based solutions, and emerging tech initiatives. His work has helped expand access to advanced computing tools for researchers and students alike. His contributions have had a lasting impact, and we are grateful for his dedication to URI’s technology landscape.

We deeply appreciate their hard work and look forward to seeing their continued success!

ITS Endpoint Support

Michael Nester
Computer Science
Traveling, creating art with code, and discovering the right career path.

ITS Networking

Tyler Distefano
Computer Engineering
Completing one final summer course, then entering the workforce.

ITS Service Desk

Aminah Islam
Doctor of Pharmacy
Joining Takeda Oncology as a fellow in Global Medical Information and Review.

Rina Melki
Biotechnology
Entering the workforce.

Juan Porres
College Student Personnel (Graduate Program)
Relocating to Charleston, SC, to pursue a career in college advising or admissions.

Ryan Jensen
Computer Science (B.S.)
Starting a master’s in Cybersecurity—and a garden!

We’re proud to recognize the dedication and service of our ITS team members who reached major career milestones this year. Thank you for everything you bring to the University of Rhode Island—your contributions make a lasting impact.

40 Years

Kevin Golde — Enterprise Applications

25 Years

George Crane – Innovation
Mark Fester – Networking

20 Years

John Iacobbo – Networking
Christopher Hinkson – Community Services, Tier 2 Support
Kevin Bryan – Research Computing
Ming-Chu Shen – Enterprise Applications

15 Years

Christina Yetman – Administration
Michael Khalfayan – Information Security Office
Brian Chmielewski – Administration

10 Years

Scott James – Networking
Christopher Faraone – Cloud and IT Infrastructure
Jeffrey Levesque – Community Services, A/V

5 Years

Karen Lokey – Innovation

Congratulations to all!

We’re excited to share that after a year-long, university-wide effort, URI ITS has successfully implemented a DMARC policy of p=reject. This is a major milestone in our commitment to protecting the University from email-based threats like phishing and domain spoofing.

Why this matters:

With full DMARC enforcement, we have:

✅ Eliminated unauthorized use of URI’s .edu domain and subdomains
✅ Reduced phishing risks for our community and external partners
✅ Strengthened URI’s brand reputation by ensuring only legitimate URI emails are delivered
✅ Improved email deliverability through greater trust with major providers

The results speak for themselves:
📈 DMARC pass rates have increased from 47% last April to 99.85%, covering over 5 million emails in the past month alone.

This success would not have been possible without the dedication of Caleb Seekell, Tanya Roberts, Jake Fonseca, and Brad Jasperson. Their outstanding contributions were critical to this achievement—thank you!

We’ll continue monitoring and improving our defenses to stay ahead of evolving threats. Thank you all for your support in making URI more secure!

How to Report a Phishing Email Using PhishAlarm

Phishing emails are one of the most common cyber threats – and they often appear more convincing than you might expect. These messages may come from unfamiliar senders, use urgent or alarming language, contain unexpected attachments, or ask for sensitive information like your username, password, or financial details.

At URI, the easiest and most effective way to report suspicious emails is through PhishAlarm, a tool integrated into your URI Gmail account.

Watch the video below to learn how to use PhishAlarm:

When you report a message through PhishAlarm:

It’s sent directly to the ITS Information Security Office for review.
If confirmed as phishing, the message will be blocked and automatically removed from other inboxes across campus.

Why it matters:

Reporting phishing attempts helps protect your personal information, prevents the spread of malicious content, and strengthens security for the entire URI community.

If you’re ever unsure whether an email is legitimate – don’t click it. Report it.

Digital signage at URI provides a dynamic way to share announcements, events, and promotions with the university community. Available to all URI community members, this free promotional service allows you to submit eye-catching content for display on digital screens across campus. Whether you’re advertising an event, highlighting an initiative, or sharing important information, digital signage ensures your message reaches a wide audience.

Executive Lead

Chris Robadue

Technical Lead

Chris Robadue
chrisrobadue@uri.edu

Support Team

Distributed IT

Interested in your department/office joining the URI Digital Signage Network?

We welcome new additions to the Poppulo campus-wide Digital Signage system. The software can be utilized for both static and interactive touch-screen designs. Digital signage support is offered in selecting hardware, system configuration, screen design, and screen management. Contact us for further details on the software licensing costs and steps to get started.

About the Service:

Features

Campus-Wide Visibility – Display content on digital screens across multiple locations
Image and Video Support – Submit high-quality graphics or videos for maximum engagement.
Flexible Scheduling – Set start and end dates for your content to ensure timely promotion.
Custom Department Screens – Departments can enroll in the Digital Signage Network for personalized screen management.

Content Submission

Promoting URI related events and material on the digital signage network is a free service available to all members of the university community. Follow these steps to submit your content:

Prepare Your Content

Design an engaging visual with key details about your event, initiative, or organization.
Keep messaging concise and consider including a website link or QR code for more information.
Use high-resolution images for optimal display quality.

Accepted File Formats: jpg, gif, png, pdf

Recommended Image Sizes:

Widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) – 1920 x 1080 pixels
Portrait Orientation – 890 x 1152 pixels

Submit Your Content

Online Submission: Upload your file via the Digital Signage Online Submission Request.
Email Submission: Send your finalized file as an attachment to digitalscreens@etal.uri.edu.
- Include the start and end dates for display.
- Specify if the content should appear in a particular building or at specific times.
- Default scheduling will display content as widely as possible.
- Content submissions require 1-2 business days for processing before they appear on the screens.

Submit Video Content

Use a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio for best results.
Preferred formats: mp4, mov, avi, wmv.
Recommended length: 10 to 30 seconds.
Files larger than 25MB should be sent via Google Drive, Dropbox, or other file-sharing services.

Join the System

Adding a Digital Screen to Your Department

Support is available for hardware selection, system configuration, screen design, and management.
For more details, contact Chris Robadue, Digital Signage Developer, at chrisrobadue@uri.edu.
Departments can enroll in the URI Digital Signage Network during Summer and Winter intersessions.

Support & Training

For assistance with your Poppulo user account, the content management platform, or your cloud file storage access, please contact Chris Robadue, Digital Signage Developer, at chrisrobadue@uri.edu.

To report a local service outage, please contact your department’s IT Staff for hardware and technical support.

Software training, how-to videos, webinars, and a knowledge base are all available online at the Poppulo Digital Signage community website.

To ensure all University computers continue to operate smoothly and securely, ITS will begin implementing periodic automatic updates on a weekly basis, or as needed.

To ensure your system is ready for these updates, please follow these steps:

Keep your University computer powered on and connected to the internet (ideally through VPN).
Approve any update prompts when they appear.
- Mac Users: Enter your computer login username and password (not the admin password). See the image below for reference:

Important Notes:

If updates have not been installed regularly, this process may require multiple reboots and could take longer than usual.
For a detailed overview of what happens during updates and the steps you need to take, please refer to the Qualys patching Knowledge Base article.
These updates are critical to ensure your system runs smoothly and securely.

How Often Will Updates Occur?

Updates will be deployed on a weekly basis, or as needed, to maintain system performance and security. You’ll receive prompts when action is required, and minimal intervention is needed beyond approving the updates when prompted.

If you need assistance or encounter any issues, please contact the ITS Service Desk at helpdesk@uri.edu.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our systems secure and efficient.

Did you know that there is a handy My Apps dashboard view for Microsoft 365 where you can access all of your URI SSO apps in one place and even create customizable app collections? Check out the latest ITS Tech Tip video to learn more.

We’re proud to highlight the contributions of Jill Rasmussen, a member of ITS’ Security team, who makes a significant impact in the field of cybersecurity and identity management.

Past Success: EDUCAUSE Learning Lab

In December 2024, Jill facilitated the EDUCAUSE Learning Lab: Identity and Access Essentials: Securing Higher Education’s Treasure. This prestigious event focused on equipping participants with a solid understanding of Identity and Access Management (IAM) fundamentals—key to securing higher education’s innovative research and resources. Jill’s expertise guided attendees through best practices, challenges, and strategies for shaping modern IAM programs in higher education institutions.

Learn more about the December Learning Lab through EDUCAUSE.

Exciting News: September Repeat

Due to the overwhelming success of the December Learning Lab, Jill has been invited to facilitate the program again in September 2025. Dates for the live sessions are to be determined, but this repeat session promises to provide another opportunity for participants to engage with Jill’s expertise and explore the critical role of IAM in higher education. Stay tuned for more details about registration and session topics as they become available!

Additional Faculty Role

In addition to the IAM Learning Lab, Jill will be serving as faculty for the EDUCAUSE Cybersecurity and Privacy Managers Institute, an online program running from March to May 2025. This institute offers intensive professional development for higher education leaders, further showcasing Jill’s dedication to cybersecurity excellence.

Explore the EDUCAUSE Cybersecurity and Privacy Managers Institute.

Looking Ahead

Congratulations to Jill for representing URI and contributing to the advancement of cybersecurity in higher education! Stay tuned for updates on her September Learning Lab and other initiatives.

Effective Date: July 2024

General Use

The Cisco Webex AI Assistant is available for use by authorized users at the University of Rhode Island. When using the Webex AI Assistant, users must ensure their actions align with the organization’s AI and data usage policies. All meeting participants should use the most recent version of Webex to ensure proper functionality and receive notice of AI Assistant usage.

Notice of Use – Business Use

The Cisco Webex AI Assistant can be enabled by the meeting organizer to:

Create automated meeting summaries.
Provide attendees with the ability to review discussions and key decisions.
Identify and track action items discussed in the meeting.
It is the responsibility of the meeting organizer to inform attendees at the start of the meeting whether the Webex AI Assistant will be enabled. Once enabled, attendees are notified of transcription and note-taking activities conducted by the AI Assistant.
All use of the AI Assistant must comply with applicable university policies.

Notice of Use – Educational Use

When using the Cisco Webex AI Assistant in educational settings, such as lectures or student communications, the following guidelines must be observed:

Information generated by the AI Assistant should only be accessible to instructors and enrolled students.
Students must be informed about the use of the AI Assistant in advance, such as through course syllabi or direct communication.
Generated meeting data is for educational purposes only and must not be shared, copied, or redistributed without proper authorization.
Faculty and students must ensure that meeting recordings and data generated by the AI Assistant remain secure and are not shared without permission.

Accuracy

Content generated by the Cisco Webex AI Assistant may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. Users must review and verify AI-generated content for accuracy before relying on it. All content should be validated in accordance with the University’s AI guidelines.

Restricted Use

The Cisco Webex AI Assistant is not approved for use in meetings involving:

Protected Health Information (PHI) or HIPAA-regulated data.
Social Security Numbers, financial account numbers, or other sensitive personal identifiers.
Non-student minors or legally restricted participants.

Specific Guidelines for Using the Cisco Webex AI Assistant

Prior Notification: The meeting organizer is responsible for notifying participants of the AI Assistant’s use at the start of the meeting. In educational settings, this notification should be included in course materials whenever possible.
Enable/Disable AI Assistant: The meeting organizer should discuss with attendees whether to enable or disable the AI Assistant’s functionality during the session.
Access Control: Data generated by the AI Assistant must be restricted to authorized users, such as meeting participants or specific organizational stakeholders.
Compliance with Policies: Users must ensure that the AI Assistant’s use complies with all applicable organizational, departmental, and regulatory policies.
Accuracy Review: Users should always review AI-generated content for accuracy and correctness before relying on it for decisions or official documentation.
Restricted Use: Avoid using the AI Assistant in contexts involving sensitive, regulated, or legally protected information.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can users ensure the accuracy of AI Assistant-generated content?
Users should review AI-generated content thoroughly, cross-referencing key points with other reliable sources. Exercise critical judgment and seek clarification for ambiguous content.

What are the potential consequences of non-compliance with policies regarding the Webex AI Assistant?
Non-compliance may result in disciplinary actions, revocation of access to Webex services, or potential legal consequences for privacy and data protection violations. Maintaining adherence to policies ensures responsible and ethical technology use.

Version	Date	Description	Approved By
1.0	07/12/2024	Initial Guidance Release	CISO

LibreChat is a pilot program making generative AI easy and accessible for the URI community. Whether you’re brainstorming, creating content, or simplifying tasks, LibreChat brings powerful AI tools together in one easy-to-use platform.

You can choose from a variety of large language models – tailored for everything from creative projects to data analysis to idea exploration.

Want to try LibreChat? If you’re not already enrolled, you can request access using the steps outlined in the Access tab on this page.