UFV’s Information Technology (IT) Service Desk moved to G131 in the library building this April, and was able to open for the fall semester with improved facilities and services for both staff and students, and their devices.
Previously out of sight in Building B, IT Services moved in order to be more visible to students since it started supporting student devices in addition to university tech, according to Darin Lee, UFV’s chief information officer.
The service desk saw an atypical influx of students during the first week of Fall 2019 than in previous years. Lee said that there were lines out the door, which is unusual for the first several days of the semester.
“Just being in a place where students are is really key for us,” Lee said.
The new facilities are much larger and more functional than the old IT Services office, Lee said, which held just two desks. The IT centre now has multiple rooms and space to do in-house repairs. There are also two staff members who deal only with student devices.
Last year SUS and UFV IT Services signed an agreement stating that UFV IT Services would offer support and repairs on students’ personal devices using the FixIT fee SUS collects from students. Before this, SUS had a contract with Geeks Are Us, who maintained the FixIT desk in the Student Union Building (SUB), and IT Services offered support only on technology provided by the university. The money from SUS is used to pay for two full-time staff members.
The amount students pay in fees for personal device support and repair has remained the same, as have the services offered, which include hardware repairs and screen replacements, data recovery, virus and malware removal, software installation, and general technical advice. The UFV Bookstore now sells cables and other technical accessories that FixIt previously sold.
IT Services also offers a practicum placement for communications students, as well co-ops and part-time jobs. These students don’t only work at the IT desk, but in IT positions throughout the university, such as in cybersecurity. According to Lee, these positions have been “remarkably successful.” Four students were recently hired out of student roles into permanent positions, one of which is SUS-funded.
One of IT’s biggest changes associated with serving students has been the need to accommodate a wide variety of different devices. Universities generally have a standard set of technical equipment for IT to service, but students can bring in a large range of devices.
“If we only have two versions of a laptop out there, it’s really easy for us to learn how to support them,” Lee said. “For students, we have to support whatever comes in, and that includes international students bringing in devices from other countries … so that’s a big difference for us.”
According to Lee, the decision to open in Building G was made as part of a larger initiative to cement the library building as a hub for services for students and staff in harmony with Educational Technology Services, the Academic Success Centre, the library, and the computer lab.
Image: The Cascade
