Discussion at the University Faculty Senate meeting held Tuesday revolved heavily around information technology (IT) -- specifically the ongoing efforts to secure the Penn State cyber community.

This year, Penn State is looking to add two new measures to protect its computer system and the personal information of its faculty.

The first is to ensure that personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from or secured on computers, and the second is to ensure a university laptop cannot be used if lost or stolen.

"We've all become so dependent on IT," said Penn State President Graham Spanier, who said an average of 1,500 computers per year are compromised at Penn State.

Kevin Morooney, vice provost for information technology, said Penn State will go about the IT protection by installing software on university computers to scan for PII, which would provide full-disk encryption.

Some members of the Faculty Senate expressed concern the university's efforts could be an invasion of privacy and university professors should be allowed to take it upon themselves to protect their identity and information.

Morooney also presented results from a system scan conducted on Sept. 4, which indicated 12 million hostile probes were received by Penn State networks on that particular day. In the past year, 9,000 notifications of identity loss occurred with 55,000 more near misses, Morooney said.

Morooney delivered a report on steps Penn State has already taken to protect its system and the personal information of its faculty.

Beginning several years ago, Penn State implemented several phases to increase cyber security, Morooney said.

These include eliminating using a person's social security number as his or her Penn State ID in 2005, instituting new password requirements, increasing layers of security for some data, providing licensed anti-virus programs and offering training and support for system administrators, Morooney said.

"These are all steps into building a culture of safety here at Penn State," Morooney said.

Other topics discussed included campus security, a report on high school students enrolled as 'nondegree' in credit courses and revisions to several Senate Bylaws.