Computer service center program in works

Jeanne Claypoole, a sophomore English and photojournalism major, accidentally spilled water on her laptop and it would no longer turn on, so she took it to the Center for Information Technology (ITS) Help Desk to see if it could be fixed.

After they said they could not help Claypoole, they offered her some advice. She followed the advice, but her laptop still would not start. She dragged her computer to the Apple store and discovered that it would cost $800 to fix the computer. Her friend offered to fix the Mac for half the cost.

"I went five weeks without having a computer in my dorm room and had to resort to using on-campus computer labs," Claypoole said in an e-mail interview. "This was very stressful because it made finding time to get papers and homework done a lot more difficult."

At the end of April, Claypoole and other students will find that getting help for their computers will be easier than ever before. ITS is currently in the process of setting up its own Computer Service Center, along with a computer purchasing program.

Through this program, Point Park University students, faculty and staff will be able to purchase both Lenova, previously known as IBM, and Mac laptop bundle packages. The purchase price will also include access to discount services at the Computer Service Center.

The Lenova notebooks are from GovConnection, a Web site that gives access to thousands of electronic products and services to students at schools. The budget bundle, standard bundle, performance bundle and ultra-mobile tablet bundle will all include a ThinkPad line of business-class notebooks.

The Mac will be available with a standard bundle, performance bundle and a cinema or journalism bundle, which students in those departments are recommended to have.

All of the bundles will include Microsoft Office along with accessories, like a laptop bag and a lock for the computer. Depending on the bundle purchased, certain software will be downloaded onto the computer for the student.

Each bundle will also come with a four-year warranty that covers certain services at the school's Computer Service Center. Certified technicians will be able to assist students in situations where ITS currently cannot. The new center technicians will help with issues like virus removal, data backup and recovery, and application installation and removal.

While the technicians fix a student's computer, the student will be given a loaner laptop to use. The new Computer Service Center will be on the fourth floor of Academic Hall, which is next to the existing help desk.

All computer bundles will be available at discounted rates to Point Park students and staff. No exact prices are known yet because ITS is still negotiating with Mac and GovConnection.

Joshua Smith, manager of administrative desktop services, said Point Park will have its own store where these bundles can be purchased.

"It will be just like going to a store like Best Buy and buying a laptop," he said.

Smith said this program was based on the programs at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., and Tulane University in New Orleans, La. At those schools, all students must buy a laptop, since the cost is built into their tuition; however, the program at Point Park will not force students to buy a computer.

Smith said students have already shown interest in this program. Brenna Avery, an admissions counselor, said prospective students are also excited about this program. She said this will give many students a chance to buy a laptop, since it will be cheaper, and cinema and journalism students will get the chance to show their parents that a Mac may be better for their major.

Avery also said that this program was better than those at other schools, especially because students can get the programs they need downloaded on their computer and have it set up in the dorms when they arrive at school.

Currently, ITS is only negotiating prices on the laptop bundles, so students must purchase a computer in order to get programs, such as Final Cut Pro, at discounted prices.

Printers will also be available, but not at the same discounted price as the laptop bundles.

More information about the computer purchasing program can be viewed online at www.pointpark.edu/cpp. Questions can be e-mailed to cpp@pointpark.edu.