IT Help Desk catching a flood of people
Students in need of computer advice are piling into the Information Technology Help Office at a greater capacity than last year.
Duane Kleinhardt, IT communications manager, said more than 1,400 people contacted the office the first week of classes, with more than 400 stopping by to get help.
“This is normally the busiest time of the year,” Kleinhart said. “We are lucky to have a very tech-savvy student population here at (Central Michigan University) but, even if 20 percent of the returning students need help, we’re still talking about over 1,000 computers needing help with a process that, on average, takes a couple of hours.”
The number increased considerably since last year, he said.
The IT Help Desk in the Charles V. Park Library is the main provider of technology support for all of CMU’s students and staff members.
Escanaba freshman Travis Marcotte needed help with his computer and did not know about the IT Help Desk.
“I went to The Depot (located in all of the residence halls) at first,” Marcotte said. “Then they suggest me to come to the Help Desk.”
He is not the only one.
Student technicians are trained to learn to resolve the malfunctions that computers tend to have. Each student is required to undergo approximately 40 hours of the training program before working at the Help Desk.
Kleinhardt said although the student technicians are trained, it does not mean they know everything about computers.
“The nature of the job requires continuous, ongoing training, and no one is ever (fully trained),” Kleinhardt said.
Students who have problems with their computer can bring it to the help desk to receive assistance on how to fix the problem.
For more information about the IT Help Desk, check its Web site at cmich.edu/Information_Technology.htm or contact the office at 774-3662.
