ResCom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ResCom, or Residential Computing Service and Support, is a computer support group formed to provide general computer and network support for students living in on-campus dorms and other residence halls at The Pennsylvania State University. ResCom is a division of Penn State Housing, which is in turn a division of Penn State Housing and Food Services.
ResCom employees are all students of Penn State University. Staff includes approximately 55 Student Technicians and 15 Student Managers. The Network Coordinator for Residence Halls is the head of ResCom. All employees undergo at least 8 hours of formal training, and receive continuing on-the-job training as the semester progresses.[1]
Prior to 1999, ResCom was known as Cyber Squad.
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[edit] ResCom's Mission
The following is taken directly from ResCom's website[2]:
| “ | ResCom's mission is to help students to effectively utilize information technologies for their academic and personal needs while living on campus. This program is supported by student staff who provide technological services and operations that are influenced by Penn State’s teaching and learning initiatives.
We believe that information technologies will continue to grow and be an integral part of academic, administrative, and residential life at Penn State. From this premise, we have developed ways to expand student's awareness and skills:
ResCom staff is available to guide, resolve problems, remove viruses, and direct computer repair issues. They can provide consultation of computer purchases, and perform software upgrades and installations. |
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[edit] History
Prior to the Fall semester in 1998, network support for students owning computers was provided through the Resident Computer Consultants program (RCC). The RCC program, in which consultants were assigned to individual dorms, was phased out in the summer of 1998 in favor of a more centralized program, with consultants working out of offices in each commons desk. It was thought that a more centralized approach would solve many of the problems that plagued the RCC program, such as slow turnaround times, limited working hours, and a lack of way to spread expertise among technicians. The new approach was dubbed Cyber Squad. In contrast to the current employment demographic at ResCom, Cyber Squad employed about 60 part-time students and 18 full-time network specialists.[3]
Approximately one year after the current Network Coordinator took leadership of Cyber Squad, several student employees felt that Cyber Squad was too unprofessional of a name for future employment prospects. To promote a professional appearance, the name was changed to ResCom, and with cooperation from Penn State Auxiliary and Business Services, a new website was designed, and a new logo was created.[citation needed]
[edit] Scope
Primarily, ResCom assists students in registering their network connection for use in the residence halls. ResCom, in conjunction with other departments, administers over 14,500 connections at University Park.[4] In doing so, ResCom enforces university policy AD-20 and the Residence Hall Network Connection Agreement. ResCom also assists students with general computer problems, such as spyware and virus removal, simple hardware diagnostics and installation, software instruction and installation, and operating system reformat and reinstallation.[5]
However, because ResCom is under the Penn State Housing department, it cannot assist students with issues related to services provided by the ITS (Information Technology Services) department, such as Webmail, Penn State Wireless Access, computer lab resources, and other services. The inter-departmental split and apparent disparity between services causes much confusion to students and frustration about the complexities of the Penn State bureaucracy.[6]
Nevertheless, ResCom is one of the first resources available to students at Penn State should computer problems arise. In the 2005-2006 academic year, ResCom assisted students with more than 8,500 problems. As of Oct 31, 2006, ResCom has assisted students with more than 2,800 issues for the 2006-2007 academic year.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Andy Griffith. "'Facespace' shows online consequences", The Daily Collegian, 2006-10-31. Retrieved on February 3, 2007. (in English)
- ^ ResCom Mission Statement. Retrieved on February 2, 2007.
- ^ Tim Swift. "Troubled computer users can key on Cyber Squad", The Daily Collegian, 1998-08-26. Retrieved on February 3, 2007. (in English)
- ^ Number of University Park Connecitons. Retrieved on February 1, 2007.
- ^ ResCom's Scope. Retrieved on February 3, 2007.
- ^ Marissa Carl, Kristen Huth. "Loading problems plague WebMail users", The Daily Collegian, 2005-10-03. Retrieved on February 3, 2007. (in English)
