Grand Valley State University’s Information Technology department has made some changes as it
strives to improve and expand its services to the campus community, including moving its
Helpdesk to its new home in the Mary Idema Pew Library.

Sue Korzinek, director of IT, said the department decided on the move early in the planning stages
for the new library. When Lee Van Orsdel, dean of university libraries, invited various departments
on campus to participate, IT chose to join because it would be included as part of the Knowledge
Market, which provides a variety of services to the campus community.

“These services include IT Helpdesk, as well as writing, speech and tutoring services,” Korzinek
said, adding that being part of the Knowledge Market will also help IT expand and improve because
of its centralized location on campus.

The IT department is staffed by both professionals and students and deals with many technology-
related issues on campus.

“We support institutional initiatives involving technology and support all major Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) systems,” Korzinek said. “We (also) manage all network connections between all
campuses, buildings and wireless access.”

The department also provides services such as help with email, wireless connectivity, Blackboard
support and connecting computers and gaming devices to the university’s network. Other general
technology questions are also addressed, whether in the classroom or living centers.

The IT Helpdesk in Allendale has also expanded to include the Grand Rapids Helpdesk located in
the DeVos Center on the GVSU Pew Campus. Jayne Dissette, academic systems supervisor at GVSU,
said the Grand Rapids Helpdesk was created a year ago and is an extension of the main desk in
Allendale.

“It gives a sense of community,” Dissette said, mentioning that it is also supposed to increase the
connectivity between campuses.

Josh Barnosky, a senior majoring in accounting, is a student consultant for the IT department on
the Pew Campus. He said one of the biggest issues for students is connecting to the wireless network, and his solution was to create the new IT wireless teams on the Pew Campus as an extension of the Grand Rapids Helpdesk.

“I suggested we set up a table in the plaza during different times throughout the first few weeks of school,” Barnosky said. “We could help students initially when they walked through and let them know where the Helpdesk was for future questions.”

Dissette said the teams include one IT student consultant and one student from the Helpdesk, and they will make the IT department more accessible by setting up various locations around the Pew Campus. The teams will work directly with students and new faculty to assist them with specific technology problems, including setting up email on mobile devices and helping with Windows 8.
“The goal is to have everyone connected to wireless and know where the Helpdesk is in Grand Rapids,” Dissette said.

In the future, the IT department has set its sights on improving its mobile services. Some GVSU students have created free phone applications that allow students to keep their schedule, myBanner and other important information all in one spot, Dissette said. The IT department might form mobile teams of students who will show others how to use these applications.

These improvements will all be made in the hopes of making students’ lives less stressful.

“We continue to review and upgrade our services to provide state of the art and emerging technologies to keep GVSU competitive and attractive to faculty and students,” Korzinek said.

For more information about the IT department and its services, visit www.gvsu.edu/it.

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