In an effort to consolidate technical support on campus, the Office of Information Technology opened the OIT Solutions Center on Wednesday.
The service, located on the 100 level of Frist Campus Center, combines four areas of support that used to be spread out across campus.
At one location, students, faculty and staff can now bring in malfunctioning laptops for repair, purchase hardware and software and sign up for phone services and Tiger TV. The Solutions Center will also house a faculty courseware area to provide assistance with Blackboard and other software.
Though the Solutions Center will not offer new forms of assistance, according to the Director of Support Services, Steven Sather, it is an important improvement.
"It really streamlines preexisting services that OIT offered," Sather said.
Combining the offices will also help make OIT more approachable and accessible to the campus, said Timon Lorenzo '06. After bringing in his laptop for repair, Lorenzo noticed the convenience and efficiency of the center.
"The service is quick and they know what they're doing," he said. "I would use it much more now."
Lorenzo wasn't the only student ready to take advantage of the new center. Despite its infancy, the office was filled with students on its opening day who were eager to rid their computers of the SoBig virus that has infected millions of computers worldwide since early August.
The Solutions Center took less than a year to set up. Initial discussion about consolidating offices began early this year, Sather said. After finalizing their plans in the spring, OIT took advantage of the summer to implement the changes.
"The major challenge was making sure that it was up and running by the beginning of the [academic] year," Sather said.
With most of the hurdles out of the way, OIT will now use the coming months to fine-tune the system. "There will be a little bit of refinement here and there but it should be minimal," Sather said. Editor's Note: Though added to the web at 8:15 on August 30, this article is appended to the end of the Freshman Issue. Please see our first Fall Semester issue out on September 10.
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.