Getting to know My Parkland College

Through the website My Parkland College, students can manage nearly every aspect of their college careers. All that functionality can seem a little intimidating to some, which is why the good folks at Student Technical Assistance & Resources, also know as STAR, are there to help.

Buster wanted to find out some of the things STAR has been helping students with, and to get an idea of some the more frequently asked questions. To do this, he sat down with Nick Schall from STAR - a familiar face to anyone who passed by his table in X-Wing during the first couple weeks of the semester.

According to Schall, students seem to have the most trouble with their Parkland email accounts. He said that students new to Parkland's email system have a tendency to try to use the last four digits of their social security number as their initial password. He pointed out that the initial password set up for all student email accounts is actually the last five digits of their social security numbers.

When asked about the second most frequent source of email related trouble for students, Schall replied that students try to enter their entire email address, when their username is actually just the first part before the @ symbol. This means that if your email address was bbytes1@stu.parkland.edu, your username would just be bbytes1.

Your username is made up of the first letter of your first name, followed by your last name, followed by a number. If you're not sure what your email address or username are, you can find out by visiting https://pcweb.parkland.edu/studentlookup and entering your information.

According to Schall, another reason that students contact STAR for help with their email is for help resetting their email password. If you haven't used your account yet, your password is the last five digits of your social security number. If you've changed your password and lost or forgotten it, you can have the password reset by contacting STAR or filling out the Online Help Request Form located at http://stu.parkland.edu/mail.html. In order to receive a response, you will need to include a phone number or alternate email address.

If you know your password, but wish to change it, you do not have to contact the STAR office. You can change it yourself after logging into your email account. Visit http://stu.parkland.edu and log in. At the top of your screen toward the left, you will see three small boxes under today's date. The middle one looks like a list with two items checked off. If you hover your mouse over this box it will say "Options." Click this box. A second window will open which reads "Options – General Settings" on top. There should be three tabs along the top, and the leftmost one, entitled "General Settings" should be open. If not, click this tab. Right on top you will see a place to change your password. Simply type in your current password and then type and retype your new password to change it. Click the button marked "Save" on the bottom, and your password is changed.

While this window is open, you can also set your student email address to forward to an alternate address if you chose. Just click the tab marked "MailBox Management" on top. On the third item down, you will see a pair of radio buttons under the label "Forward All New Messages." Click the one marked "Yes," and then choose whether you would like to save a copy of the forwarded email in your student account. Then type in your alternate address in the text box under the "Forward to:" label and click the "Save" button on bottom. Some accounts do not have this option automatically enabled, so if you do not see these options in your account, contact STAR to have them enabled.

Schall also pointed out that there are actually four different types of logins through the system for students. Students can log into their email accounts, their my.parkland accounts, their ANGEL accounts, or onto Parkland's Wi-Fi. Schall stated, "The user name is the same for email, Wi-Fi, My Parkland and ANGEL. The passwords for email and Wi-Fi are the same, and they start out as the last five digits of the student's social security number. The My Parkland and ANGEL passwords also start out the same as one another and are the student's birthday." He explained that the format for the birthday used for these initial passwords is MMDDYY. So, if your birthday was July 4, 1776, your initial password would be 070476.

Schall also added that, "STAR is a grant funded program. Any feedback students have is greatly appreciated."

The answers to some more of the most frequently asked question can be found at http://stu.parkland.edu/faq.html. Students needing additional help can contact the STAR Hotline at 217-353-3333, or via email at star@parkland.edu. Students can also stop by the STAR office in D-248. Students can also contact Buster Bytes for help with these issues or anything else technology related at buster@busterbytes.com.