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IT help now available at Burge Union

The Burge Union is the newest location for campus IT users and ResNet subscribers to receive technology service and support.

The new IT service location provides wireless access to the KU network, as well as a walk-up help desk for faculty, staff and students (including ResNet subscribers); study and social space furnished with a variety of seating arrangements for up to 60 people; and a conference room that accommodates groups of 10 to 15 people and is equipped with hardwired network access and media projection capabilities.

As the spring semester progresses, additional developments will include the installation of 12 to 15 computer workstations and implementation of a laptop and media equipment check-out service. Over the summer, KU Dining Services will install a Pulse Coffee and Smoothies service counter.

"We hope this will be a popular destination for students seeking a collaborative study space with access to technology," said Donna Liss, associate vice provost for information services. "Once the Pulse is in place next fall, it will provide a cyber-cafe atmosphere with a combination of media enhancements and IT support. The KU Memorial Unions have been a willing partner in this venture from the beginning, and they have helped develop a plan for this operation that we think the campus will find inviting and useful."

The IT help desk in the Computer Center is closed and unavailable for walk-up service.

Hours for walk-in IT service in the Burge Union are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

"The Burge Union is more easily accessible and has more convenient parking than the Computer Center," said Kathy Moore, assistant director for customer relations and service delivery. "We believe it will prove to be a better location whether one is already on campus or coming from off-campus. This is also where our IT Customer Service Center phones will be answered during evening and weekend hours."

The Burge Union also is the location for ResNet services and the residential communications consultant staff who were formerly located in McCollum Hall. ResNet is the provider of voice, data and cable TV service for student housing and has more than 4,000 subscribers in the university's residence halls, scholarship halls and Stouffer Place apartments.

"Since our ResNet subscribers live everywhere from Daisy Hill to GSP to Reiger to Oliver, this location is more central," said Tom Roderick, student technology coordinator. "It certainly is handier for our staff of student technicians who are dispatched all across campus to provide service. We anticipate that this location will enable us to respond to service calls with greater speed and efficiency."

Current hours for walk-in ResNet service in the Burge Union are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The new IT service location is located on the Burge Union's main level, adjacent to the KU Bookstore and across from the Crimson Cafe. Hours of operation will extend as the semester progresses. Visit www.technology.ku.edu/help/ or www.resnet.ku.edu/ for the latest information.

RESEARCH MATTERS

Research at KU is helping ensure the safety of bridges and extending their life spans. Stanley Rolfe, the Albert P. Learned Distinguished Professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, heads a team whose studies are dedicated to bridge safety. "What we do is try to blend our research and our teaching to understand the behavior of steel bridges so we can help the profession implement better design rules and better control so we do not have fractures or fatigue failures in our bridge structures," Rolfe said. For more, or to listen to the original broadcast, visit www.researchmatters.ku.edu.