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Volume 38 Issue 3
October 3, 2000

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Lack of technical support becomes critical at MCC

BY  LEAH TIDWELL
MESA LEGEND
Submitted October 3, 2000

MCC has addressed the battle against outdated technology on campus by building the $25 million library and high-tech center.

But the war continues.

“Right now, our district is having a lot of problems with keeping technical staff, especially in the last few weeks with the Mesa campus,” said Ron Bleed, Maricopa Community College District vice chancellor of information technology services.

According to Bleed, the reason MCCD does’t have enough technical support is their inability to compete with wages in the private sector. “Our budget for staff salary is mainly used for faculty. After this amount has been distributed, there is not much left for support personnel,” Bleed explained.

Professors are beginning to feel the effect of not having enough technical support.

“Keeping enough support staff, particularly in information technologies, is a huge crisis,” Brad Kincaid, Ph.D., chair of the life sciences department, said.  He added,”They are doing a great job for what staff they have.”

According to Kincaid, life sciences occupy most of MCC’s new high-tech facility, and although they need scores of assistance, they sometimes do not receive it.

Kincaid suggests that campus technical support should  prioritize.   All difficulties related to instruction should come first. Then, they can confront problems the faculty might have with personal computers.

“All of us recognize that we are becoming more computer oriented in instruction. So, we have to find ways that we can do that efficiently,”  English Department Chair Doyle Burke said. “And (we need to do that) in ways that allow faculty to do their work without having to wait and have a lot of down time.”

Getting enough support to work on technical difficulties is an issue that is being addressed at the district level, also.

According to Bleed, the issue is under serious discussion. He said he is aware of the problem and is working with the district to find ways of improving it.

The Student Technical Assistance Program, of which  Bleed said there are about 20-to-25 students involved, assist professors with computer-related problems. Bleed added while the STA program is an excellent opportunity for students who want to gain experience in the field of technology, they are still learning and don’t always have the answers to problems that qualified technicians would.

Until this “technical support crisis,” as Kincaid referred to it, is solved, professors will have to wait for service and MCC’s improved technology may not be used efficiently.

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