ITS Response Center requests rising

The bottom of the Undergraduate Library houses the Information Technology Services Response Center, where those who are losing their battle with technology keep the center busy.

"I'd say I've been to ITS at least five or six times this semester," said senior Erin O'Quinn, whose computer has been plagued by viruses. "ITS and I are best friends now."

Last year the center responded to 152,893 student, faculty and staff requests for technical help, said Bruce Egan, director of Information Technology Services. That is almost double the 81,522 requests seen three years ago.

"It's frustrating to have so many problems with your computer, but at least I know that ITS always did something to try and fix it," O'Quinn said.

Officials said the growing number of requests is not a sign of faulty computers but the expanding role of technology - and ITS.

"The fact that we use computers more means there are more opportunities for things to go wrong," said Matt Howell, manager of ITRC walk-in services.

Egan said the number of courses using Blackboard has increased from 431 in 2000 to 5,582 last year.

PC Magazine's lead laptop analyst Cisco Cheng also said there is a direct correlation between computer use and problems.

"It all goes back to how people are using their computers these days and the proliferation of computer users in general," Cheng said.

Egan and Cheng said the environment at a large university lends itself to computer problems.

"These laptops are the same ones that the business world uses," Egan said. "Students are just tougher on them."

Egan said ITRC became a more centralized location on campus when, in 2004, ITS became UNC's main technology service provider.

ITS now is the initial contact for technical problems for groups such as Blackboard and the Office of Arts & Sciences Information Services.

The center also handled 6,000 requests for laptops affected by last year's two Sony battery recalls.

"Over time the ITRC has increasingly become the 'front door' for tech support for students, faculty and staff across campus," Egan said.

ITS student employees Andrew Trumbull and Austin Pittman, both sophomores, said wireless problems and password resets were the most common issues they saw.

"Usually it's not anything too complicated," Pittman said.

But junior Caitlin Connell said she was on her second trip to ITS for the same problem.

"I don't have time to come in here all the time and leave it for close to a week," Connell said.

All students and faculty can bring their computers to the ITRC for technical help, even if they did not purchase them through CCI.

But some non-CCI students said they have had trouble with ITS.

"I brought my computer in because I didn't know what was wrong, and ITS told me if it's not a CCI, don't even take it out of the bag," said Carrie Crespo, a senior who has a Dell, of her experience with ITS last year.

Of the help requests last year, 10,691 computers required repairs, a 3 percent increase from the 2004-05 academic year. Only CCI laptops can be brought to the Computer Repair Center for hardware repairs.

This led to 7,700 warranty repairs last year, which Egan said includes "everything from replacing a missing keyboard key to replacing an entire system board."

Accidental damage, such as spills or drops, and theft are not covered under warranty.

These are covered by a student's CCI insurance, which includes a $250 deductible. Last year 793 laptops were repaired on insurance claims.

The ITRC was operating with a 95.2 percent satisfaction rating by customers last year, based on surveys. The ITRC also had 90 percent of basic issues fixed within the same day, Egan said.

"They do a really good job, and it's so convenient," said freshman Blair Mikels. "If it was off-campus or far away, I don't think I would use it like I do."

Of the 125 loaners available, about 30 are checked out on a daily basis.

O'Quinn said getting a loaner helped curb her frustration.

"It's so much more frustrating to have to just give your computer away for a couple of days and not have a replacement," she said.

"You just can't be without a computer at this school."

Contact the Investigative Editor at iteam@unc.edu.