Living in a technological age brings about new ways to learn in and out of the classroom, and the University Information Technology Services at the UA provides students with everything they need to get connected on campus.
The service works with several departments to provide students with a safe Internet infrastructure and other vital electronic resources. The Office of Student Computing Resources, or OSCR, allows students to reserve multimedia labs, computers, video camcorders, tripods and digital audio recorders.
“Not many people take advantage of the university systems,” said Matt Shepherd, a full-time phone technician for OSCR. “We have a lot of site licensed software.”
This particular service allows students and faculty to use an array of software at a free or reduced cost.
A valid UA NetID allows the user to download anti-virus products such as CounterSpy and Sophos Endpoint Security and Controls. There are also 24 other programs offered for free that can help students in many different ways.
The service also features a 24-hour-a-day tech support center employed by students and full-time faculty who are trained to provide technical assistance. Additionally, UAssist is an online support request center that provides over-the-phone technical support, and also serves walk-ins at their office in the Martin Luther King Student Center. The UA’s tech services are funded through the student IT fee, according to Andres Irigoyen-Au, a full-time support specialist and supervisor. The fee covers many aspects of campus technology, including the wireless infrastructure, many computers throughout campus and the support services provided to students.
The University Information Technology Services also runs a help desk, built to help students, faculty and staff with any technical issues, such as computer viruses, audio or video malfunctions and even hardware crashes on both Macs or PCs.
“Whenever there is (a technological) emergency on campus, we handle it and know what to do to fix it,” said Conor Staples, a technical consultant and a senior studying optical sciences and engineering. “I’ve had a phone call from the tech support at the College of Engineering. They didn’t know what to do.”
The 24-hour tech support center also helps students understand what’s wrong with their computers, working side-by-side to fix it so that students can solve reoccuring issues on their own.
But students shouldn’t expect the tech support center to fix all problems within minutes, Irigoyen-Au added. Technical issues with computers, hardware or software can often take time to get fixed, and computers can be very susceptible to viruses even with antivirus software.
Getting connected
UITS offers 24-hour tech support over the phone at (520) 626-TECH (8324). The department also helps walk-ins at their office, located in room 207 of the Martin Luther King Jr. building.
