The First Year Office received more complaints regarding BlitzMail than any other issue last year, according to a meeting of the Steering Committee of the General Faculty held at the Rockefeller Center on Monday.
The Steering Committee meets annually to hear different councils' reports on what they have been working on during the past year.
A faculty survey from last spring revealed that of the 99 faculty members that responded, 78 were using another e-mail client by itself or in addition to BlitzMail, according to members of the Council on Computing. A task force is currently investigating what can be done to improve the BlitzMail program, a member of the Council said. The task force plans to release its recommendations this winter, with the hopes of implementing the plan next fall.
The names of individuals who spoke at the meeting were not released to The Dartmouth.
The Council on Computing also discussed the work of the Dartmouth Digital Initiative, which is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. One of the aims of the initiative is to create a system to save professors' research online.
Until recently, individuals kept data to themselves, but they are beginning to digitize it, Dean of the Faculty Carol Folt said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"It's about trying to find ways to preserve data and protect it over time," Folt said after the meeting.
The Council on Benefits, the Council on Graduate Studies, the Council on Libraries and the Council on Sponsored Activities also gave presentations at the meeting.
The Council on Benefits presented its recommendation that the College adopt a $5,000 infertility benefit. Infertility can have an impact on health and should thus be covered, a member of the council said. The $5,000 benefit would be the same amount as the adoption benefit the College currently offers, according to the Council.
The Council on Benefits also suggested that the College offer more advising programs and improve savings options for retiring staff. Many employees invest in 401(k) portfolios that are at risk of losing value over time, a member of the Council said.
The libraries are currently working to digitize some of the College's collections, a member of the Council on Libraries said. The focus is on works that will help in the classroom and includes doctoral dissertations, masters theses, films and over one million photographs, according to the Council.
The Council on Sponsored Activities reviewed its decision regarding the Dartmouth Internet Security Testbed project. The project, funded by the Department of Homeland Security and led by computer science professor David Kotz, is meant to study the online traffic patterns of the Dartmouth networks. The Council, wanting to ensure privacy protection, said that the project could analyze traffic patterns of the networks, but that monitoring the wired network posed too many risks relating to privacy.
The Council on Sponsored Activities sent the recommendations to the Provost's Office, where they were accepted, a member of the council said.
In addition to hearing the reports, the Steering Committee also approved the time for the general faculty meeting on Oct. 27.
