If you had typed the word "boss" into the online campus directory yesterday, you would have found two strange entries: "Pointy Haired Boss" and "Evil Pointy Haired Boss." Jack Undergraduate lives in 340 Henry Hall, according to the online and in-print directories, and what are "Orwelian Processor" and "Socrates Test"?
Though "Orwelian Processor" and "Socrates Test" still remain, the other entries were removed from the online directory yesterday. "They were probably removed so they are not confusing to anyone," speculated Dan Oberst, director of OIT Enterprise Infrastructure Services.
He added that they were probably changed to make them less visible to anyone searching the directory, thus avoiding potential confusion.
However there still are several entries on the directory that, although they may not be humorous or strange, do not refer to real people. They are test entries used for administrative purposes and testing without affecting real people's records.
There are approximately 20,000 entries in the directory, 15,000 of which are for members of the University.
The remaining 5,000 do not refer to people at all: They are either testing entries or they represent organizations or facilities on campus. Many of them have email addresses, NetIDs and phone numbers.
'A tribute'
One of these testing entries, "Orwellian Processor," is "a tribute to George Orwell," said Rita Saltz, policy and security advisor at OIT.
Though the entry name is not an actual person, the contact information associated with it is for Robert Knight, from OIT Administrative Information Services.
The entry "Socrates Test" is similar in that it lists the contact information for Hannah Kaufman, also an OIT staff member.
Evil
"Evil Pointy Haired Boss," which no longer exists in the online directory, also listed the contact information for a staff member.
"Jack Undergraduate," which has also been removed, listed the contact information for a fictional member of the Class of 2002 living in 340 Henry Hall — a room that does not exist.
The entry was used for "testing for student self-service, which is a way for undergraduate students to update their home contact information," said Lee Varian, director of information technology infrastructure.
The entries can easily be added, removed and changed by OIT staff members in order to meet the needs of any University member.
The fake entries often humorously reflect something about the person whom they represent or what they are used for testing.
Saltz said she once used "R Fraggle," referring to a character from the cartoon Fraggle Rock whose frizzy hair somewhat resembled hers. She said she used it several years ago as a sample for an OIT demonstration.
Comic relief, Saltz added, is a key part of a technology-oriented environment.
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