Tech Spot, Tech at Night, HelpDesk provide 24-hour student support

MCT Campus

MCT Campus

India Hines

If you’re a student with a laptop, chances are you’ll need technical support some time in the next four years.

Good news: Kent State provides onsite technical help for students, staff and faculty.

The Tech Spot, the HelpDesk and Tech at Night are all on-campus sites that provide technological support, said Jay Frye, director of Information Services.

“Don’t live with technological problems,” Frye said. “We are here to help you in numerous ways.”

Tech at Night student technicians are available in residence hall lobbies after normal tech help hours to provide technological support to fellow students.

“The problem happens when students are trying to study or play games and they are having problems connecting to the wireless [internet],” said Wendy Shih, manager of Information Services.

The HelpDesk is located on the first floor of the Library and provides services such as password retrieval for students and Blackboard support for faculty.

“The HelpDesk provides 24/7 technological support for students,” Frye said. “It is a one-stop shop to get immediate help with your technological problems.”

The Tech Spot is another place on campus to receive technology help. It is located in the Tri-Towers Rotunda and is open until 8 p.m. The technicians who work there are Kent State students.

“What we do is anything from wireless issues, virus removals and hardware reinstalls,” said Nathan Maggiore, technician at the Tech Spot.

“We are Apple and Dell certified, so we can work on a lot of issues,” Shih said. “We do not see things that we cannot fix.”

The student technicians who work at the Tech Spot go through extensive training before they can work there, but must be able to demonstrate one key thing above everything else.

“Customer service is very important to us,” Shih said. “We look for very approachable students who can explain technical terms to students.”

Contact India Hines at [email protected]