IT News, Maintenance, and Updates
June 2026 Newsletter
Small Setting, More Breathing Room 
The 91±¬ÁÏ System Information Technology (UMS IT) team is here to help you get more from the tools you already use every day.
Technology works best when it fits into the workday without getting in the way. A lot of daily work depends on institutional knowledge and judgment: knowing what needs attention, what can wait, who needs to be included, and what details cannot be missed. This month’s tips focus on small settings in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, and Google Workspace Studio that can reduce extra clicks, limit unnecessary interruptions, and create a little more breathing room around the work that needs your expertise.
May Poll Results
Last month, we asked about the tasks you would most like your tools to help with: Here’s what you told us (38 responses):
You also shared some tips. A few favorites:
“Created an Excel sheet that pulls data from many different source sheets into one table each week. Huge timesaver and reduces the risk of missing key information.”
“BCC myself on emails that require follow-up so they stay in my inbox as a reminder.”
👀 This Month’s Poll
Next month, we’re focusing on Google Calendar and ways to reclaim time in your day. We’ll look beyond meeting length at settings and habits that can help you protect focus time, make scheduling easier, and keep meetings organized before, during, and after they happen.
 
This Month’s Focus
Small Settings. More breathing room.
â‰ï¸ Everyday tools can crowd the day.
Email, calendar, and Chat are part of nearly everyone’s workday, but small defaults can add extra clicks, unnecessary interruptions, and back-to-back schedules with little room to reset.
✅&²Ô²ú²õ±è; Small settings can create breathing room.
A few one-time changes can help your tools fit better around the work you already do. These settings do not replace the institutional knowledge and judgment your work requires. They help reduce the tool friction around it
🚀&²Ô²ú²õ±è;This month covers Gmail filters, Google Chat notification controls, scheduled sending, and Google Workspace Studio Flows. Each gives you a way to adjust how your tools behave, so they support your work without getting in the way.
 
Let Studio Handle the First Pass
When similar questions, requests, or follow-ups come in again and again, Google Workspace Studio can help with the first pass. A flow can assess a message, identify key details, apply a label, prepare a draft, send a reminder, send an email, or summarize what needs attention.
You choose what Studio handles automatically and where review is needed.
 
Quick Wins for More Breathing Room
Create a Clearer Inbox
Gmail filters help organize incoming messages by sender, subject, or keywords, so recurring messages are easier to find and manage.
Steps:
In Gmail, click the search options icon in the search bar.
Enter criteria, like sender, subject, or words included.
Click Create filter.Choose Apply the label and select or create a label.
 
Choose What Gets Your Attention
The Google Chat Home tab shows every space by default. Toggle Unread in the top right and it collapses to only what’s actually waiting for you.
Steps:
Click Home in the left GChat sidebar
In the top right, click the Unread toggle
Your view now shows only unread messages.
Bonus: For spaces that are active but not urgent, click the three dots next to the space name and select Mute.
 
Send It at the Right Time
Sometimes the right message is easier to write now, but better to send later. Gmail and Google Chat both let you schedule messages to arrive at a better time.
Write your message in Gmail or Chat.
Click the drop-down arrow next to Send.
Choose Schedule send.
Select the date and time.
Review or cancel scheduled messages before they send, if needed.
 
Have you noticed technology running more smoothly lately?
Whether it’s a seamless login, fast support, or things just working the way they should – it’s no accident. Behind the scenes, IT teams across the system are keeping everything moving.
It only takes a minute to make someone’s day!
 
Need Tech Support?
UMS IT is here to help! Reach out via email, phone or chat. Walk-in help is also available.
IT Support:
Email: help@maine.edu
Phone: 1-800-696-4357
LiveChat:
You may also connect with
Upcoming Sign In Changes
Important Notice!
 
This is a reminder about the upcoming change to how you sign in to 91±¬ÁÏ System (UMS) services.
Starting on the evening of May 15, you will see a new sign-in page when accessing UMS services such as myCampus Portal, Gmail, BrightSpace, and MaineStreet.
One important change: you must enter your full email address to sign in.
For example, if you previously entered jane.doe, you will now enter jane.doe@maine.edu.
For a walkthrough of the new sign-in process, please watch the following
Things to know
There are no changes to multi-factor authentication (MFA) at this time. If you currently use Duo to verify your identity, you will continue to do so.
If you use the advisee and course list application in the myCampus Portal, this application will open in a new browser tab instead of within the portal starting May 15.
For more information on the new sign-in page, please visit .
You can find more information on the SSO/MFA Modernization Project in the following articles:
If you have questions, please contact the .
– The UMS IT SSO/MFA Modernization Project Team
May 2026 Newsletter
Find Anything Fast
The 91±¬ÁÏ System Information Technology team is here to help you work smarter, not harder. If you’ve ever spent ten minutes hunting for a file you know exists somewhere, you’re not alone. In our February poll, 48% of you said forms, policies, and resources on the UMS website take the longest to track down, and “something I saved in Drive” and “an old email” weren’t far behind.
This month, we’re sharing moves that change how you find things, not just how you search for them.
Latest Updates
AI Training | Beginner & Intermediate Sessions This Spring: The Maine Center’s AI Essentials Series continues with new beginner and intermediate sessions on tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, NotebookLM, and Claude. Tuesdays, through May 26, 11:30 AM–1 PM on Zoom.$25/session.
April Poll Results
Last month, we asked: What takes you longest to track down at work?
Here’s what you told us (45 responses):
You also shared some tips. A few favorites:
“Use Google’s built-in search options, like to:, from:, subject:, in:, etc.”
“Using quotations in my Gmail searches when I remember a particular phrase but don’t remember the subject or when it was sent.”
“Labeling emails and sorting them out of my inbox is extremely helpful!”
This month’s tips are shaped by exactly what you told us.
👀 This Month’s Poll
Which routine task eats up your time that you wish would just run itself? There’s a spot to submit your best automation tips and questions too!
 
This Month’s Focus
Stop hunting. Start finding.
â‰ï¸ Finding things at UMS means searching across several different environments: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, campus websites, and TDX. Each one works a little differently, and each one has features that make finding things faster once you know where to look.
✅&²Ô²ú²õ±è; Research shows that time spent searching for information is one of the biggest drains on workplace productivity, and longer search times are directly linked to lower quality work. The fix isn’t learning everything at once. It’s knowing a few moves that work across the tools you already have.
🚀&²Ô²ú²õ±è; Your UMS tools include Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, TDX, and more. This month covers smarter search in Drive, finding anything on a UMS website, Gmail shortcuts your colleagues are already using, and how to get more out of TDX before you ever submit a ticket.
 
Stop Typing. Start Filtering:
Find any file in Drive without remembering what it’s called.
Google Drive’s filter chips let you find files without remembering what they’re called. Click the search bar, skip the typing, and use the People, Modified, or Location chips instead. Your brain remembers who you worked with and roughly when far better than it remembers file names.
 
Quick Wins for Finding Things Fast
Find Anything on a UMS Website
Searching a website can be frustrating. This workaround helps for anything public.
Steps:
In your favorite search engine, type site:maine.edu and what you need. Example: site:maine.edu RFP
For a specific campus: site:usm.maine.edu advising
Works for the knowledge base too: site:tdx.maine.edu how to print
 
Use Gmail Search Operators
Gmail’s search bar accepts operators that filter results precisely, and you can combine them for even faster results.
Filters to Try:
from:name@maine.edu to find emails from a specific person
subject:budget to search subject lines only
has:attachment to find emails with files attached
“exact phrase” in quotes to find that specific wording
 
Your One-Click Shortlist
Stars aren’t just for “important” things. Use them as a temporary shortlist for what you’re working on right now.
On Monday, star the 2-3 emails, files and chats you need most this week.
Access them anytime by clicking Starred in the left sidebar of Gmail, Drive, or Chat.
On Friday, unstar them when the work is done!
Take it a step further with custom star options.
 
UMS IT in Action
🎉 Rave Mobile Safety is Live
When something urgent happens on campus, you deserve to know about it fast. Rave Mobile Safety is now live system-wide, delivering emergency notifications wherever you are and on whatever device you’re using, by text, email, and voice call simultaneously.
Behind the scenes, the UMS Information Technology team worked across all seven campuses to configure Rave, verify contact data, and test delivery across multiple channels. Coordinating notification preferences for thousands of users across different systems required careful data work and close collaboration with campus safety offices.
If you receive emergency notifications from your home university, you’re already covered. Log in to Rave to review your settings and make sure the right notifications are reaching you the right way.
Have you noticed technology running more smoothly lately?
Whether it’s a seamless login, fast support, or things just working the way they should – it’s no accident. Behind the scenes, IT teams across the system are keeping everything moving.
It only takes a minute to make someone’s day!
 
Need Tech Support?
UMS IT is here to help! Reach out via email, phone or chat. Walk-in help is also available.
IT Support:
Email: help@maine.edu
Phone: 1-800-696-4357
LiveChat:
You may also connect with
April 2026 Newsletter
Printing that Works for You
Latest Updates
Evolving Phishing Tactics Targeting UMS Employees: Read the for more information, and visit the for tips to stay safe.
Watch for Fake UMS Login Portals: Cybercriminals are using legitimate-looking file shares to redirect you to fake login portals designed to steal your credentials. Always verify the URL before entering your password.
AI Training | Beginner & Intermediate Sessions This Spring: The Maine Center’s AI Essentials Series returns with new beginner and intermediate sessions on tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, NotebookLM, and Claude. Tuesdays, April 7–May 26, 11:30 AM–1 PM on Zoom. $25/session. 
This Month’s Poll
Which takes you longest to find: an old email, a shared file, or a form you know exists somewhere? There’s a spot to submit your best search and find tips and questions too!
 
This Month’s Focus
Two ways to print at UMS. Here’s the Difference.
Not all print jobs work the same way. Printing runs through Xerox devices and PaperCut, our print management system. There are two ways to send a job, and knowing the difference makes the whole experience easier.
Known which mode you are using. Direct Print gives you access to a specific printer’s full advanced features. Find Me Print keeps it simple, releasing to any campus Xerox.
Your UMS printing tools include Find Me Print and Direct Print queues, both managed through PaperCut. Visit the to find your code, check pending jobs, and print history.
 
Find Me Print vs. Direct Print: What’s the Difference?
At UMS, there are two ways to print. Find Me Print lets you release your job at any campus Xerox. A Direct Print queue adds a specific nearby printer to your options and gives you access to its full range of advanced features.
 
Quick Wins for Smooth Printing
No Card? No Problem.
Left your card at home? There are two ways to log in manually at any Xerox device.
Steps:
Tap the Keyboard icon on the Xerox touch panel.
Enter your @ email
Enter your UMS password or print PIN
Your jobs will appear just like normal
 
Printing Not Working? Start Here.
Most printing problems come down to one of these four things.
Things to Check:
Computer not up to date
Not on EduRoam, or VPN
Recently changed your password? Re-sign into Print Deploy
Find Me not installing? Try a Direct Print queue instead
 
Check your Jobs Before You Walk
Not sure if your job made it to the queue? Check before you make the trip. You can see everything pending, already printed, and charged to your department.
Steps:
Connect to EduRoam or the UMS VPN
Login to the
Click Jobs Pending Release in the left menu
Confirm your job is there — jobs are deleted after 36 hours
 
Have you noticed technology running more smoothly lately?
Whether it’s a seamless login, fast support, or things just working the way they should – it’s no accident. Behind the scenes, IT teams across the system are keeping everything moving.
It only takes a minute to make someone’s day!
 
 
Need Tech Support?
UMS IT is here to help! Reach out via email, phone or chat. Walk-in help is also available.
IT Support:
Email: help@maine.edu
Phone: 1-800-696-4357
LiveChat:
You may also connect with