Information Technology Services
We offer a wide range of services for students, faculty and staff, including recommendations for computer purchases; support for enterprise applications; or assisting with desktops, laptops, printers, mobile devices or other related technologies.
Our ITS Campus Knowledge Base is the repository of IT Services documentation designed to help you look up the answer to a wide variety of questions about the technology services available on campus.
Announcements
April 2025 Update
Page added by David Edgar
Good afternoon,
As commencement approaches, the ITS team is gearing up for a productive summer. Key projects include upgrading the network of the academic buildings, installing the network for the new Science and Engineering Research Center, and numerous behind-the-scenes improvements.
In the spirit of Earth Day, I'd like to highlight a simple way we can all contribute. While individual modern computers are quite power-efficient, the collective energy consumed by hundreds of devices left running overnight is significant.
ITS now requests that you power down your office computers completely at the end of each workday, when they are not needed for remote access. It's a small step that, when done collectively, makes a meaningful difference in reducing our energy consumption.
Thank you for helping us to conserve energy.
Justin
Cable TV Service Change / New Campus Digital Signage
This summer ITS will retire our on campus Apogee satellite Cable TV services, shifting the remaining Cable TV services to Cox Communications. We have already engaged campus stakeholders still using Cable TV, but if you are a user of Cable TV and have questions, please submit a ticket.
With this TV service change, we are taking this opportunity to install a new digital signage platform across campus. This will include new monitors and hardware, with more dynamic content.
Deletion of Inactive / Abandoned University Technology Accounts
As part of our efforts to increase security and improve efficiency, ITS will now routinely delete abandoned CNU.edu accounts that have not been in use for over 120 days. This new standard is consistent with our peers, in managing identity and access management. We will have further updates on new identity and access management standards soon.
Deletion of Fall 2021 and Older Scholar Courses
ITS will archive and delete Scholar courses older than Fall 2021 on Friday, May 9th. While ITS maintains an emergency backup archive, it is not searchable and is not guaranteed to be complete. If you have materials that you want to save please download them before May 9th, by following these instructions.
ITS Campus Survey
If you have a few minutes, we would appreciate a few minutes of your time in completing our ITS campus survey.
March 2025 Update
Page added by David Edgar
Good morning,
I hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather and warmth. I have several IT updates to share with the campus community.
First, my apologies for the technology disruptions last week. Underground power cables that provide electricity to our Luter data center failed last Tuesday night. I would like to thank the Facilities team for their support in bypassing the fault, and quickly making a permanent repair last night. For the long term, we'll explore our options to make Luter more resilient from these types of failures.
I would also like to thank members of the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) for sharing their concerns about the frequent single-sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor-authentication (MFA) prompts using Scholar. We've been reviewing logs, engaging with Microsoft, and have made configuration changes that will reduce the number of sign-ins for Scholar and other platforms.
We’re also promoting the use of small hardware security keys, such as YubiKeys, if you would like an alternative to using your smartphone for MFA. I know that MFA can be an inconvenience, but a password alone is not enough to keep you secure. With your feedback, we'll work towards ensuring just enough MFA with SSO.
For many years, all campus network ports have been ”lit,” online and accessible. With the abundance of Wi-Fi, less than half of our network ports are in use.
Starting with our academic building network refresh this summer, we will deactivate unused Ethernet ports in the academic buildings. If you are using Ethernet port this spring, it will still be online after the upgrade. If an Ethernet port requires activation, we'll have a simple request process through https://help.cnu.edu.
Christopher Newport has received an exemption to Executive Order 46, allowing for research / on-premise use of the DeepSeek AI models, under certain conditions and requirements. If you would like to use DeepSeek, please submit a request and we'll work with you to meet the exemption's requirements.
As always, I appreciate all feedback. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. If you need immediate technical assistance, help is available via https://help.cnu.edu, (757) 594-7079, or helpdesk@cnu.edu.
Justin
Use of DeepSeek on Campus-Restrictions and Exemptions
Page edited by David Edgar
As defined by Governor Youngkin's Executive Order 46 (2025) the Commonwealth of Virginia has prohibited the download and use of DeepSeek, the artificial intelligence application and web site, on state-owned networks and devices. In accordance with this executive order, DeepSeek is banned on Christopher Newport University networks and client devices.
To fulfill this directive, Information Technology Services has instituted blocks and restrictions of DeepSeek via:
The university’s campus network
Web browser applications
Downloadable apps on university devices
Christopher Newport has been granted a limited exemption to the executive order in the following circumstances:
To conduct research into the DeepSeek AI product to better understand its capabilities and operations, and
To conduct or assist with security research regarding DeepSeek AI for governmental clients.
These exemptions are permitted, subject to the following conditions and restrictions:
Use must take place in a secure environment, meaning that appropriate cybersecurity safeguards are in place (including system and network isolation or containment) to separate DeepSeek AI research from any other university work and to ensure that the permitted, exceptional use of DeepSeek AI does not create any possibility of access to Commonwealth data or systems (including both governmental data and personal data of Virginians).
The cybersecurity safeguards employed in regard to the DeepSeek AI environment should be in accordance with NIST SP 800-53 rev.5, SEC530, or an equivalent established standard.
To request DeepSeek access for research purposes, please submit a ticket to helpdesk@cnu.edu or https://help.cnu.edu. ITS approval is required to ensure compliance with the exemption's conditions and restrictions.
Wireless Network
Christopher Newport is now part of the eduroam WiFi network. eduroam (education roaming) is a secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community, available at thousands of institutions worldwide. Christopher Newport provides eduroam network access across the entire campus.
Click below for instructions on connecting to eduroam.
If you plan to travel and would like to know if the eduroam network is available where you are going, please click below.
Once you have successfully connected to eduroam on campus, your device will automatically connect to the eduroam network off campus at participating institutions.
Visitors from institutions participating in eduroam should use the credentials provided by their home university or research institution. Please be aware, if you experience issues authenticating to the eduroam network, you must refer to your home institution's support desk for assistance.
Visitors to Christopher Newport have access to free guest wireless access while on campus. Access to our guest wireless network is available in most buildings and outside on the Great Lawn. Click the link below for directions on how to connect to WiFi-CNU-Guest.
Resources
ITS Campus Knowledge Base
ITS related How To articles and information.
IT Services Helpdesk (Helpspot)
Submit an IT help ticket.
help.cnu.edu
Request assistance — from password resets to maintenance tickets and more!
Student Laptop Requirements
Information on computer specifications for students.
