IT Plugged Into Students' Needs

A crowd of anxious students eagerly waits their turn to meet with the staff at the Student Helpdesk on the first day of school. Better known as the Information Technology department (IT), students have become familiar with MU’s technical support team as they look for solutions to computer troubles.

Originally operated by Networking and Telecommunications Manager Mark Reboli and two work-studies, Ryan Balara and Elizabeth Pedro, IT was a small department with an even smaller locale. Up until late 2003, Balara and Pedro were stationed in a room that now functions as a storage closet. Computer problems and other technical mishaps required the pair to maintenance those issues in student dorm rooms.

When Balara and Pedro graduated from MU in 2004 with their degrees in Management Information Systems, they both earned full-time positions as MU staff in the IT department. Balara works as Systems Administrator and Programmer Analyst and Pedro holds the position of IT Student Technical Coordinator.

The former work-studies turned technical specialists worked together to help restructure the department, making their services more reliable and available for students. Relocating from their small room into a larger office, the IT staff increased its size and abilities and was given the new title of the Student Helpdesk.

Five years later, the Student Helpdesk now employs three full-time personnel and 11 trained work-studies. Pedro explains her staff learns best through trial and error, from developing new rules to mastering the latest technology. The team takes note of the problems they encounter and often reference the Internet for quick solutions.

After an incident with a student whose computer was infected with so many viruses that it infected the systems other students in his dorm, Pedro and her staff decided the most effective way to provide the fastest and most reliable service would be for students to bring their computers to the office. Output increased for the Student Helpdesk as they went from dealing with two computers a day to averaging 30 to 40 computers in the same time frame.

A power surge last spring left students and staff without access to their e-MU accounts, and people questioned if the site would ever be reliable. Balara assured that won’t happen again, as the new system is “fully redundant” with multiple back-up systems and robust software. He said the new e-MU program is much more standard than the previous Java software, as the switch to Microsoft has made the e-MU site more dependable. It also offers additional perks such as cell phone synching that allows users to load their contacts, e-mails and calendars between programs.

A typical day for the Student Helpdesk begins around 9 a.m. when they arrive at the office and computers are already waiting to be serviced. Pedro said the most common problem they deal with is computer viruses, many of which originate from popular sites such as MySpace, Facebook and AOL Instant Messenger.

Pedro, Balara and other staff members are Dell Certified Technicians -- a fact that Pedro feels is important for students to know when deciding what to do when their computers aren’t working. Unlike other companies such as Hewlett Packard or Macintosh, if a student owns a Dell computer and brings it to the Student Helpdesk for maintenance they are able to repair their machine without shipping it to the company. For example, if a student with a Dell needs a new part, Pedro and her staff can order it online and it will be shipped to MU the next day. However, if a student owns a different brand then the laptop will likely be shipped out for maintenance and takes several weeks before it is mailed back.

Senior Phil Schultes has relied on the Student Helpdesk since his freshman year. He describes the staff as knowledgeable and eager to help. Schultes especially appreciates the fast pace at which they work. “The three or four times I’ve dropped my computer off, they’ve always had it up and running within an hour. They haven’t let me down.”

The Student Helpdesk also provides free support for all resident and commuter students if they are seeking assistance with their phones, televisions, e-MU account, Blackboard, wireless setup and their student IDs. This past year especially has seen a large increase of students programming their e-MU account into their cell phones.

With technology growing at a rapid pace, Pedro has a positive outlook for the future of IT. In five years she hopes to see the overall use of technology at MU increase, with the possibilities of a completely wireless campus, security cameras and updated computer labs.

“We’re always going to have more work to do, especially with the number of students, but we wouldn’t have a job if nobody had a problem,” jokes Pedro. “We don’t mind it. That’s what we’re here for. It’s free support so you can’t really beat that.”