TO THE EDITOR:
The new e-mail 2-step-verification process is a classist way for the University to cover their own tails. The ITS representatives have said it's to ensure that our information is more tightly protected, especially against the phishing emails, but what risk does deleting extra emails really pose to myself?
The University expects all students to have computers, which is subsidized by the CCI grants. This ensures a level of equity among students, and makes it reasonable that they require us to use email and Sakai for communication, however, until the University is prepared to provide and fund texting plans to all students, the idea of requiring us to have phones on hand to use even library computers to check our emails is unreasonable and classist.
ITS representatives have also said that it could help limit the number of times we have to reset passwords, as well as the number of times we log in on our computers, however, many of us already have our passwords saved in our browsers' keychains and yes, changing passwords is tedious, but it's also best practices and what we will be facing in the real job market.
The justifications for requiring 2-step-verification for email access are underwhelming, especially when weighed against the logistics it requires of students. Expecting every student to have a smart phone or a phone that can receive texts is unacceptable. It is like expecting things to be turned into Sakai when wifi is down and power is out, unreasonable to assume possible.
Isabel Trumbull
Junior
Public Policy
