McGill Matters

McGill Matters McGill University

| Skip to search Skip to navigation Skip to page content

User Tools (skip):

Sign in | Friday, November 30, 2018
Sister Sites: McGill website | myMcGill

McGill Reporter
September 7, 2006 - Volume 39 Number 02
| Help
Page Options (skip): Larger

McGill Matters

Mercury delivers

This fall, Mercury (formerly known as MOLE) will be introduced as the university-wide course-evaluation system and the official means of collecting data for student course-evaluations. The decision complies with a May Senate resolution.

During a contest in the 2006 winter term students selected the name Mercury from among almost 500 suggestions. As the winged messenger of the Roman gods, Mercury represents the role that course evaluations fulfill in enabling students to communicate with their professors and the University about their courses. Mercury was also half-brother to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, so it keeps on-line course evaluations well within the family of applications used at McGill.

For more information on the Mercury system, go to: www.mcgill.ca/provost/courseevaluations/mercury . Questions or comments can be directed to mercury.info@mcgill.ca.

STOP-ping laptop theft

Laptop theft — and the heartache and expense that accompany it — could soon be a thing of the past on the McGill campus. Security Services has teamed up with hardware protection specialists Security Tracking of Office Property (STOP) to ensure that students' belongings aren't targeted for theft. More than 5,000 companies and universities worldwide use STOP's anti-theft and tracking system to protect their valuables.

"Laptop theft is a frequent problem on campus and we want to make sure that students no longer are victims, especially for something that's so easily preventable," said Louise Savard, manager of Security Services.

In the STOP system, a heavy-duty security sticker plate is affixed to the laptop. Each plate carries a barcode that is registered with both McGill Security and STOP, and comes with a warning label letting would-be thieves know that ownership of the laptop is permanently monitored. This makes it immediately obvious to a potential thief that resale — the prime reason for laptop theft — will be all but impossible.

The warning sticker also lets thieves know they can't simply remove it to sell the laptop; prying the sticker loose requires 800 pounds of force and the gel used to attach it leaves an indelible tattoo to indicate that the item is "Stolen Property," keeping it out of pawnshops. Finally, the barcode and 24-hour hotline listed on the plate allow anyone who finds the laptop to contact STOP and ensure that it is safely returned to its rightful owner.

Security Services provides laptop registration for $20. Students wishing to register their laptops with STOP should contact campus.security@mcgill.ca. Louise Savard can be reached at louise.savard@mcgill.ca or 514-398-4556. Visit STOP's website at www.stoptheft.com.

view sidebar content | back to top of page

Search