Information Technology Services (ITS) is currently restructuring its help desk operations to address delayed ticket response times and strengthen first-level support, including hiring a dedicated Technology Services Desk Manager and additional staff. According to Chief Information Officer Jonathan Colby and Director of Service Management Dylan Stinger, the changes aim to improve oversight, training and service consistency.
“We are refocusing staff time on core services by pausing non-essential projects so teams can address ticket backlogs, complete employee technology lifecycle replacements, and support classroom technology.” Colby wrote in an email to The S&B. “We’re also improving how everyone can better understand what’s been resolved and what to expect next.”
Colby wrote that ITS currently has two full-time positions open — a Technology Services Desk Manager and an AV Systems Specialist. “Recruitment is underway for all positions,” Colby wrote. “Filling these positions is a priority, as they are key to strengthening service capacity and addressing current workload demands.”
Stinger wrote that ITS was operating at 80 percent of allocated positions during the fall semester, but that this statistic did not include student employment. Muhammad Khalid `26, a former ITS student employee, said that staffing gaps slowed response times at the College’s Technology Services Desk last semester, particularly during morning hours. He said that while the help desk generally kept up with ticket volume later in the day, consistent understaffing between 8 and 10 a.m. created challenges.
“Ten a.m. onwards, we usually had enough staff to deal with all of the tickets,” Khalid said. “It was only from the 8 to 10 a.m. period.”
When the desk was understaffed in the morning, unresolved tickets would sometimes carry over into the afternoon, particularly when combined with a high volume of calls.
In an email to The S&B, Stinger wrote that during the fall 2025 semester, early morning shifts generally included one to two student workers, with full-time staff providing support when student coverage was limited.
“Occasional brief gaps in student coverage can occur as we accommodate student class schedules,” Stinger wrote. “During these times, full-time staff members step in.”
In addition to scheduling gaps, Khalid said turnover among student employees sometimes contributed to short-staffed shifts.
“I think it’s also to do with the fact that people would just leave ITS on very short notice,” Khalid said. “I only knew one or two people who left ITS when I joined, and they just left because they had other jobs that were slightly less work and they had gotten more hours there.”
Stinger acknowledged student turnover as an ongoing operational challenge. “Typically, our student recruitment cycle takes about two to four weeks, depending on the size of the candidate pool,” Stinger wrote. “We plan proactively by maintaining enough employees to cover any absences.”
He added that while staffing levels must remain within allocated budgets, ITS works to ensure continuous coverage despite departures. Stinger also said ITS typically hires new student workers each semester, noting that recruitment and onboarding are ongoing processes.
Stinger wrote ITS also recently made changes to increase access to mentorship and guidance.
“We recently reorganized both the AV and Technology Services Desk teams to introduce dedicated operational manager roles,” wrote Stinger. “For student workers, this will translate into more individualized support.”
