Residential computing consultants
Gretchen Beck · 2004
Student outreach revealed that Carnegie Mellon students living on campus wanted after-hours computing support and on-site service for their computers. How can a help center open only during business hours fulfill these expectations without a significant increase in cost or drop in quality of service? At Carnegie Mellon, the solution was the Residential Computing Consultants (RCC) program, a no-fee service available to all students living in on-campus housing. The RCCs are four students who work in teams of two consultants per shift, Monday-Thursday evenings 6-9pm. RCCs answer requests made through email, phone, voicemail, and AIM; in-room appointments are available on request. The RCC program resulted from a two year pilot, in which a variety of contact methods, locations, and staffing levels were tested and evaluated to meet these requirements. This poster presentation provides an overview of the RCC program and discusses the advantages and pitfalls of the service models used during the pilot program.