Tech issues plague students

Will Reed
Staff Writer

Have you ever encountered an issue with Blackboard, WIReD or any other technology at Hudson Valley?
If so, you’re not alone. We are all subject to system updates, security fixes and occasional crashes. However, according to Jonathan Brennan, Chief Information Officer of Information Technology, that’s just part of the program. “With any technology, there is going to be glitches,” he said.

Surprisingly, some students reported never having experienced an issue with campus systems, while others said they wouldn’t know where to get support if an issue did occur.

Tim Shupe, a second-year student at the college, voiced a complaint about certain programs not being available on specific campus computers.

“There are certain computers that have certain programs on them and some that don’t, so sometimes it’s kind of annoying trying to find the computer that has the program you need for a particular class,” Shupe said.

In today’s paperless world, much is available to us digitally. With it comes the risk of system failure. Some systems are less likely to have issues than others, though.

“Certain technology, like Blackboard, tends to experience less significant problems, like complete down time, but there are glitches here and there,” Brennan said.

Jonathan Brennan explained since computers are becoming increasingly complex, they reinforce the need for IT support because with new technology comes more problems.

“That’s why we tend to grow in IT while other areas are shrinking because everything the college does now versus 20 years ago is based on a computer,” he said.

He also noted how everything a student must do can be done on their own with little help from the college.

The college is actively improving in tech support, hoping to keep technological issues to a minimum.

Brennan said, “We’ve done quite a lot actually to minimize disruptions where there are some.”

Part of the success can be attributed to the secure back-up plan the college has in case problems occur. Brennan explained there are two data centers located on campus, and if one of these should start experiencing problems the other would take over and users would never know the difference. If by chance both of them went down, an offsite location would take over duties. In that situation, there would be major problems.

“That’s more of a disaster recovery, so there would be some down time,” Brennan said.

Students who require technology help have access to the Computer Learning Center. It is located in the basement of the Marvin Library. The CLC helps students with school-related issues such as email, connecting to the WiFi network, printing and anything related to academic work on computers or mobile devices, according to the Hudson Valley Website.

The CLC will always be open to questions from students, and if staff cannot solve the problem or start seeing patterns, it will be reported to the IT department, Brennan said.

Students can reach the Computer Learning Center by visiting the bottom floor of the Marvin Library, by email at clchelp@hvcc.edu or by phone at (518) 629-7891.