It isn’t all swiping cards
Being a computer lab consultant may not appear to be the most exciting job on campus. However, according to three consultants in three different labs, the job is not as simple as swiping cards and taking care of printouts.
Aside from making sure computers run smoothly, handling the printer and making sure everyone has a turn, consultants also have to deal with what students bring in and out of the labs.
“Cell phones are our number one complaint and if somebody is talking too loud, we need to ask them to take it out of the lab,” Al Lambert, consultant at the TSC computer lab and senior in history and political science, said.
TSC consultants are not alone with their cell phone woes. Becky Bagwell, a consultant from the Business Building computer lab, said cell phones are their biggest problem.
“We just ask them to take it outside and let them know they are disturbing the other students. Sometimes it’s awkward because you’re like ‘Oh, what if it’s important? What if it’s their mom?'” she said.
Other than being asked to put away their cell phones,students have also been asked to get rid of food.
“There was this guy once who tried to bring in a whole ton of food; it was like a whole meal,” Lambert said. “I just couldn’t believe he was trying to bring in that much food.”
Bagwell said students are typically asked to leave their food at the front desk or take it outside if it is obviously going to create a mess like potato chips would.
One other major concern the labs share is students not wanting to take responsibility for their printouts.
“Many times someone will print something and have forgotten to put their name on it, so they will print another copy and not want to pay for the first one,” Lambert said. “Then the student will say how it’s not fair and I will politely reply back asking what their point of reference is, because we ask everyone to pay for all their printouts.”
When being hired as a lab consultant, several key attributes are looked for other than being able to just turn on a computer.
“My boss was looking for someone who was personable and self motivated,” said Brionne Thompson, consultant in the Young Education Technology Center and senior in dual early childhood and elementary education. Having self motivation is key in having a job at the YETC lab because of all the new programs you have to learn, she said.
Lambert said, “If you don’t have customer service skills, you’re not going to be able to get your job done.”
One of Bagwell’s coworkers had to use her customer service skills to ask a couple to stop making out in the corner of the computer lab, she said. The coworker didn’t want to say anything because it was an awkward situation, but had to go talk to them anyway, she said.
Many consultants are either asked to or just take the initiative to learn more about the different programs the students use in the labs. Thompson said she often finds herself learning a newer program that she’s not familiar with when she has the spare time.
“Over the summer, I did a lot in the multimedia lab so I could become more familiar with the software,” she said.
Lambert also found herself having to learn more about Macintosh computers, which she had originally been told were “horrible, evil computers.” She now spends a great deal of time on them doing various types of graphics work, she said.
“It’s great because now I can continue to teach myself and teach the other consultants,” she said.
Student Lab Services and YETC consultants are also assigned other tasks not directly related to helping students in the labs.
Lambert also serves as a student manager over the other consultants and works public relations for SLS, a job not far removed from her position last year in ASUSU.
In the lab of the YETC, there are more than just computers. There is a K-12 curriculum library, NASA resources and a multimedia lab. Thompson was asked to take an extra job filling NASA resources orders.
Working with only one or two other employees at a time, consultants find themselves in the middle of rushes every day and the various trials that come with them.
Lambert said, “The TSC is the busiest lab on campus. It is sometimes hard to believe how busy it gets. The rush comes around 10:30 a.m. and finally starts to calm down around 4:30 p.m. I think I sat down twice today.”
When rushes come, students may not be aware of the other labs available to them.
“Not everyone is aware that the YETC is open access, so we don’t really ever have a waiting list,” Thompson said. “Many students think this lab is just for education students.”
Both Lambert and Thompson said if the lab you are at is full or crowded, please ask a consultant where another lab with available seating is.
“We’re more than willing to help you,” Thompson said.
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