Students who find their Internet access shut off may have had a virus threatening their computers, according to Kathy Lang, chief information officer of Information Technology Services.

A common virus on campus infects the computer by sending large amounts of spam out to other computers, she said.

Most students whose computers have a virus aren't even aware of the problem.

"If we can identify that a student or port is sending lots of spam through a network and we can localize it to a particular port or room, then we will disable that port," Lang said.

She said Internet ports are shut down only when the virus affects entire buildings or networks on campus, and ports are not shut off on a regular basis.

"Most of the time we try to send warnings, but if it's affecting a whole building, we have to shut them down right away to protect everyone," she said.

Lang said ITS contacts students with viruses immediately and works with them to get their Internet services turned back on.

"Students get viruses everyday," she said. "Usually it doesn't get to the point where it affects entire networks."

Lang said viruses often affect networks by slowing them down, and students usually call to complain about this problem.

Every residence hall is equipped with the latest McAfee virus protection software, according to Jon Shaffer, a resident assistant in McCormick Hall and a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences. The university sent this software to the dorms free of charge.

Shaffer said most students who are affected with a virus either don't have virus protection at all or haven't updated their virus protection software. Students should contact their R.A.s to obtain the McAfee software.

"I encourage students to continually keep up with the latest virus updates to ensure they don't have viruses," Lang said. She said students who think they might have a virus should contact ITS immediately.

Last month, Allison Griffith's Internet port was disabled for approximately five days. She said one of the computers in her dorm room had spyware and was sending out spam.

"I wasn't angry about the computers being shut down for a few days because they have to prevent spy ware from spreading," said Griffith, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. "It was easy to use the computers in the dorm labs."

Along with her three roommates, Nicole Lund, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, had her Internet port disabled temporarily last semester. Her Internet was shut off for approximately four weeks, though her roommates' Internet access was restored after only one week.

"They said one of my roommates had a virus that was sending spam, so they shut down all of our Internet connections because it was all through one jack," said Lund.

Lund said the experience was frustrating because she needed to log on to the Internet to check Blackboard for homework assignments and complete research but had to find outside sources.

ITS was courteous on the phone but didn't send anyone to fix the problem, she said.

"The people at ITS were always very concerned and helpful when I called, and they always told me they would send someone to help," Lund said. "But no one ever came. The problem wasn't resolved very timely."