ACCESS.SMU gets new look, new features for new semester

From construction on the Laura Lee Blanton Building tolandscaping and road repairs, evidence exists campus-wide: SMU isupdating its look. The updates aren’t limited to the physicalSMU but also include SMU in cyber-space.

A new ACCESS.SMU went live in June. Although several newfeatures are available from the new program, the application itselfhas created confusion for more than a few students.

Information Technology Services went through 18 months ofplanning before the introduction of the first truly web-basedapplication. The application was created by PeopleSoft, the companythat provides software for student administration, human resources,contributor relations, financials and other areas at SMU.

Joe Gargiulo, director of Applications for InformationTechnology Services, said the change came because PeopleSoft wasdropping support of its old product in August, leaving SMU with nochoice but to update before the change.

Although the application was launched in June, Gargiulo saidmany features have yet to be unveiled. Among such features will bestaff self-service, human resources for student employees andaccess to degree progress reports. These changes are expected tosave time and resources for SMU.

“It puts us in a good position to move forward,”Gargiulo said.

Despite the 18 months of planning, the implementationwasn’t all smooth sailing. Gargiulo said the most visibleproblem occurred early when the computer took 25 seconds toauthenticate what the user could access. The delay has since beenfixed.

Students were also in for a big surprise when they signed on,especially if they neglected to read the tutorial. And the singleicon on the sign-on page left many users thinking the pagehadn’t loaded.

“I just want to see my options first,” said CarrieInce, a sophomore CCPA and psychology major.

Sophomore cinema-television major J. Mandyam expressed similarconcerns, saying that it was hard to find what he needed when hesigned on.

“I like it better the way it used to be,” Mandyamsaid.

Although ACCESS.SMU won’t go back to the way it was,Gargiulo said customizations can be made to tailor the system toSMU and its community. Each customization costs money, though, andultimately they are prioritized by necessity.

Currently, ACCESS.SMU has more than 300 customizations differingfrom the original PeopleSoft application. Gargiulo said that eachtime the system is updated, many of the customizations must bereloaded. Because of this, he said, SMU must determine how much theproduct should be changed from its original state.

Since ACCESS.SMU is primarily a business tool, departments andbusiness areas all over campus send in requests for customizations.Purely visual changes or changes in terminology aren’t ashigh priority as making sure the system functions correctly. Someof the changes requested aren’t feasible because PeopleSoftdoesn’t provide the customizations.

Gargiulo said that while IT is constantly improving the system,trying to accommodate all requests would result in worse service.In fact, many schools have had problems when they have tried largecustomizations.

He said the system is being perpetually updated and fixed by 10developers as a result of changes from PeopleSoft and campusrequests for customizations. To faciliate maintenance, the systemis down on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for one hour so thatchanges or fixes can be made.

Gargiulo said the system will probably never be perfect, butthey are trying to make it as close as possible. He remainsoptimistic this system will allow for better service to thecommunity but constructive criticism is welcome.

This is only the first release of the application, not the best,he said.

A new version is not yet available, but as with many otherthings around campus, change is inevitable.

For problems with Access.SMU, check the tutorials available onthe Web or call the IT Help Desk at (214)-768-4357.