Students And Staff frustrated with Okta The “KaraokeKeanPlaylist Brinner”

By Ridimerb Diaz-Ramirez

Some students and staff are complaining that the Okta verification process to log into your Kean account seems unnecessarily long and complicated.

When this system first came into effect, users logging in were prompted to set up either google authenticator or an Okta Verify account. After creating page due to a new partnership with Okta.

The email informed staff and students that there will be a new login page, as well as a Multi Factor Authentication That will be enabled to provide protection for all the university web services. While the new login page was enabled, it wasn't until March 7 that the new Multi Factor Authentication was enabled in all student accounts.

By Justin McDaniel

With finals around the corner and students getting ready to study hard, KeanPlaylist always finds a way to keep students engaged and less stressed, and their event “Karaoke Brinner” did just that.

Hosted by Cougar's Den, KeanPlaylist held a fun karaoke show for Kean students throughout the night, allowing students to perform the songs they love while having snacks with friends.

Lilliana Carredo, president of KeanPlaylist said. “There were more people that attended than I had initially anticipated. I’m very happy with the turnout.”

The major turnout saw a lot of students make their way to perform songs throughout the night.

“The song I performed was “Thinkin bout you”, with my friend. I was super nervous, but I didn’t want to show it. This was my first time performing in front of other people, especially in such a large room,” Hana Abouhaib, a biotechnology and molecular biology major said. “Seeing either authentication account, each time users attempt to log in they are asked to authenticate themselves.

Okta Verify seemed to be a more favored option by students, faculty and staff however they have complained that the process to log into their accounts seems unnecessarily long and complicated.

Okta Verify is a service that allows anyone to connect with applications on any device. It provides protection by authenticating the person when accessing any application. According to a representative from Okta on the website of Built in Seattle, they got their name from “a meteorological form”.

“An ‘okta’ is a unit of measurement used to describe cloudiness. The number of oktas in the sky can range from zero to eight: if it’s zero oktas, it’s a clear bluesky day; eight oktas means it’s completely overcast,” a representative from Okta said on the website of Built in Seattle.

On June 6, 2022, the Office of Computer Information Services Sent an email announcing changes to the login

The university sent out an email on March 3 to notify all - students of this service and the steps needed to set up theirMFA with Okta Verify.

The new changes are meant to prevent anyone accessing student and staff accounts, and to keep all your information safe and secure, according to the emails sent by OCIS. Students have expressed their frustration and wish for some type of change that either allows them to not to have to keep logging in over and over, or for the steps to be simplified since it takes up time.

Affan Shafqat, a Kean senior, specialist for social science, and intern at the Wellness Center said it feels like what he called “red tape-ism.”

“Sometimes when you are working, you have to login and it will take 3-5 minutes, and it’s just a total waste of time,” Shafqat said.

Shafqat understands that the school is making the changes for security purposes, but he wishes the process was continued on page 10

Different selections of songs were played throughout the night from Frank Ocean, MF Doom, and even the Black Eyed Peas.

Collaborating with the Student Government classes of 2025 and 2026, the event went even better than planned, even surprising the host Lilliana Carredo.

“I thought the event was a success,” everyone freely perform and truly show their talent with confidence was inspiring.” continued on page 11

Each of the performers were given tickets for raffles that were drawn at the end of the night for some exciting gift cards.