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October 17,1995
VoiumelS, Number21
SERUI>JG THE UNIUERSITV^ Of TEHflS HT SHN ANTONIO COMMUNIIV
Computer lab staff changes expected to provide students with more efficient help
Trying to figure out a computer program, Matt Profitt, waits for some help from the new staff recently hired in the computer lab.
By Lindsey Rausch
News Editor
In hopws of making the computer lab more user friendly, some changes have been made in the hired staff. As a result of a new organization plan, only 20 of the 45 slaff members still have jobs at the lab.
Bill Angrove, Assistant Directorof Academic Computing, said skilled full- time workers were hired instead of all the part-time workers. He also said the staff was notified of the changes in plenty of time to look for new work.
"These people were informed of everything that was going on at the end of the semester last year and through¬ out this summer," Angrove said. "They knew Ihat there were going to be changes and they received written word of that."
Most bf the staff reapplied for the full-time positions ih the lab. Angrove said the new staff was selected based on their qualifications.
"We really are pleased with the staff that we have hired and put into place," Angrove said. "We have two folks with master's degrees in com¬ puter science, two more people that are working on master's degrees, and sev¬ eral other people with degrees, so we have a very experienced and well edu¬ cated work force."
Notices for people to apply for the compuler lab jobs were posted through¬ out the campus, so students could ap¬ ply if they met the minimum require¬ ments.
"We gave this (changes in the lab) careful, careful consideration, and thought about this long and hard. We feel we were fair as humanly possible in the decisions that we made,"
Angrove said.
Out of the 11 full-time staff, eight, are students. The lab also hired 10 workstudies that are students currently attending UTSA. Work study is a financial aid program where students get jobs at the university as part ofthe program.
"The government pays part of their salary, so we use them a lot, as many as we can;" Ray Gay, Director of Aca¬ demic Com¬ puting, said.        """""^"^""'""'^^'^''''^
On the user friendly aspwct of the com¬ puter lab. Gay said they now have a help desk where students can go for any ques¬ tions regarding using the com¬ puter pro¬ grams.
"The help desk is some¬ thing we put in.
That's the staff's primary job, to help students, and to answer questions in software applications. They're here to help and that's the main focus- customer service."
- Bill Angrove, Assistant
said. "They're here to help and that's the main focus- customer service."
The computer lab is open 24 hours a day and consists ofthree, eight hour workshifts. Along with the full-time employees, the workstudies help at each shift.
By providing more full-time staff, Angrove said he hopes the students' questions and concerns will be an¬ swered more efficiently.
"The rea- -r^'T^^r^^^...     son we
wanted to have full-time staff was be¬ cause we wanted to provide better service to the students and we think we are doing that," Angrove said. Along with giving better service to   the   stu-
over the summer to focus on the cus¬ tomer service aspect. We do a tremen¬ dous amount of question and answer¬ ing, and obviously with four or five staffers, we can't do a large amount of tutoring when it's real busy," Gay said. "When it's not real busy, they spend quite a bit of time with individual stu¬ dents."
Angrove said the computer lab staffs jpb is to answer questions the students have about the computers and to be well educated in that area.
"That's the staffs primary job, to help students, and to answer questions in software applications,"   Angrove
dents, Angrove said two more labs will be replicated like the one we already have.
"We have got two more labs that are opening up, one in the Business build¬ ing and one at the downtown campus, both ofwhich will be 200 PC labs. So, we felt it was very important to have a highly educated, experienced work force, so wecould have transition staff¬ ing as these new facilities open," Angrove said.
The people hired to work in the computer labs will have not only the knowledge of the computers, but aiso will be able to work together as a team.
"We are going to need good teams that can land in these new facilities the day they open- the expectations that they'll be up and running at top service levels," Angrove said. "In order to do that, we need to hire full-time staff, and we are seeing results already."
Gay said last year they hired 24 people on workstudy, and it was very time consuming to train the staff
"It is pretty hard to organize, train, and schedule 24 people over a 24 hour time period. That would have been multiplied by three as these new labs gel built. We knew that was not going to provide the service," Gay said.
Almost all ofthe students at UTSA depend on the one computer lab.
"We want to give them the best possible staff as we can afford," Gay said. "We would like to spend more money, but the check book is only so big."
Freshman Marivel Cavada said she was very pleased with the level of service the lab offered her.
"They were really helpful." Cavada said. "They showed me how to print my paper on the laser pri nler and do the heading."
Sophomore David Lemery dis¬ agrees. He said the staff has not been very helpful to him, maybe because the lab is always so busy.
"Some people know what they are doing, but I am in there all the time and those people that know are not always there," Lemery said.
Angrove said that since they hired the new staff the computer lab has become better equipped to meet the student's needs.
"It is much better organized, we are. going to provide much better cu.stomer service," Angrove said.
'Campus Gag Rule' fools students
By Sara Hawkins
Campus Coordinator Lindsey Rausch
News Edilor
Most students do not realize that part ofthe student fees they pay can be used to fund political and religious groupsoncampus. But a flyer distrib¬ uted by the College Democrats in Sep¬ tember ask students to petition their legislators to guard that right. The flyerexplained the "Campus Gag Rule" and how it would affect some clubs on campus if it was put into action.
According to the flyer the "Campus Gag Rule" states that places like UTSA, who receive public funds would not be allowed to distribute any money col¬ lected from student fees to any student organization that attempts to sway the outcome of legislation.
U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla(R-Texas), however, said the students on campus who distributed the flyers are being misled into thinking they are losing their First Amendment Rights.
"Whoever distributed the flyers is sadly mi<:informed," Bonilla said.
"Even if this measure passed- which it didn't- it would not have 'gagged'nor infringed on any student's right to po¬ litical self-expression."
Bonilla also said the "gag rule" was not    even true.     He        —
"Campus organizations could con¬ tinue with fundraising efforts, political activities and membership drives," Bonilla said. "Theyjust would not be funded by mandatory student fees."
said the real 'T/?© so-callod 'Campus Gag Rule' is pure facuhitslu^ fiction. The fact is that students are being   - dents don't forcod through mandatory student fees to fund realize political and religious organizations with which
where tncir
fees go.     they may not agree. And most of the time, "The so- these students don't even realize it."
called 'campus
gag rule' is - Henty Bonilla, U.S. Rep. (R-Texas)
pure    fie-    .^
tion," ——-^—------------—^-——-——-——-—-—---^
Bonilla said. "The fact is that students are being forced through mandatory siudent fees to fund political and reli¬ gious organizations with which they may not agree. And most of the time, these students don't even realize it."
According to Bonilla, there are other ways tp receive money to operate as a club.
Senior Dino Hampton, member of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, said their organization raises money and does not recei ve funds from UTSA. He also said orgar^zations funded by UTSA, such as Student Government spend a lot of money on their banquet, instead of using it towards the school.
"I feel like if another organization
Amendment to H.R. 2127 States:
¦ ¦
"Any amount, derived from compulsory fees (such as mandatory ¦
nonrefundable fees, mandatory/waivable fees, and negative ;
checkoffs), compulsary student activity fees, or other compulsary l
charges to students, is used for the support of any organization ;
or group that is engaged in lobbying or seeking to influence pub- I
lie policy or political campaigns." Z
oti campus like Student Government at the end ofthe year they have a big party for themselves, like leftover n oney," Hampton said. "Hello, shouldn't that money be going to the studen's?"
A member of the Campus Pro ^^^ Life Movement, junior Michael A. Alonzo, also said they raise their money for their organiza¬ tion. He said groups needing money can go in front of a board, and ifthe reason is logi¬ cal, then money will be allo¬ cated to the club.
"My understanding is that the school puts out a certain amount that groups are able to use if they can show the money is
 going towards educating the
^^~'   people, but you have to go in front of a board," Alonzo said.
Instead of using student fees for funding, Bonilla said the siudents should have the choice to give to cer¬ tain organizations on jcampus.
"Students can volunteer to give money to any organizations they want, but no one should be forced to do so through mandatory student fees," Bonilla said.
The Student's Right to Know Act would have barred federal funding for colleges and universities that spend mandatory student fees on campus po¬ litical organizations, Bonilla said. He also said Ihe bill was rejected the first week of August, and in addition the Senate education funding bill does hot' include such a provision.
"I voted for this measure because while speech is free, student fees are' not," Bonilla said. "It's not fair for students to unknowingly be forced to fund political or religious organiza¬ tions they do not supfjort."
IWB
*..*.*..% ^
Passing away the time, Aaron Dockery and Pamela McGee, play cards in the HB.