November 2003

Briefly speaking: Computing help is user friendly

	Student consultant Jay Lee of IT Express helps second-year student Lianne Minasian find a computer lab to print out her papers. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

There's a place on campus that is a first stop for just about every UC Davis student: IT Express. And because the service provides free help with everything from e-mail accounts to campus software, it's likely that most students will return here at some point during their college career.

In addition to providing campus e-mail accounts, the unit offers computer help services to the entire campus, including the more than 23,000 undergraduates.

"A lot of people, understandably, use technology to the extent that they have to use it, and they are fine," says Dan Rackerby, a senior IT Express consultant. "Beyond that, though, they sometimes have to ask us for help."

Jay Lee, a fifth-year managerial economics major, is in his third year as a student employee at IT Express. "As far as technical stuff, it does require training, but for this job in particular, the main thing really is customer service," he says.

Lee deals with clients with a wide range of computer abilities. The most common question: What if I've forgotten my password? While most questions can be handled over the phone, setting up a new password does require the user to visit IT Express' office in person.

The service is located on the first floor of the Shields Library. It is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; phone hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 754-HELP.

An extensive IT Express website offers information on campus accounts, services, software and viruses; and answers to frequently asked questions.

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