IT Department initiative

(PHOTO/Hannah Crews)

Patrick Stephens
Staff Writer

A committee is being formed to allow students to give feedback to the Troy University Information Technology Department.
“Mr. Greg Price, who is in charge of the IT Department, thought that it would be a good idea if we worked with the students to get more of the students involved in what the IT Department is doing,” said Brittany Clarke, a sophomore information systems major from Broughton, who is heading this new initiative. “So what we are really looking for is for the students to come to us and tell us things that they might like to see done by the IT department.”
It is hoped that students involved in the committee will give feedback about issues they face with technology but also get to try out campus technology updates before they are implemented, she said.
“This may be students giving feedback on the app or what may need fixing,” she said. “It is mainly a review group, talking about what we can do to enhance the IT Department here at Troy, and what some of the IT people are wanting to do is beta test new products and allow students to provide what their thoughts are on the products.”
The first meeting was held Monday at 100 University Park, at the Troy University Annex shared by CGI
“The main thing they wanted to stress was that students read the welcome-back email that the IT Department sends out every year,” said Becca Lindsey, a senior elementary education major from Opelika who attended the meeting. “It basically talks about all the things IT has to offer.
They also spoke about an update to  Trojan Web Express, which is a eight- to 12-month process that is currently underway.”
Not only is the IT Department looking for feedback on new items, but it is also looking to provide students with an avenue for providing feedback on issues they might be facing on campus.
“The IT Department isn’t made up of students, so they may not know what students want, so that is why we are trying to get students who really know what they want in contact with the IT Department so they can tell them what the students want, not just what the IT Department thinks the students want,” Clarke said.
IT issues raised by students so far involve the Wi-Fi networks on campus and the computers in the library. Although the library is a separate department, IT is working to help the library address issues that have been presented by students. Other things the committee is working on are updates to the Troy University app, Troy Blackboard and spreading awareness of tech programs such as Trojan TXT, a program that sends out text reminders about important academic dates.
Students who want to be involved should look for announcements of future meetings, which will most likely be conducted on Mondays at 6 p.m., according to Clarke, with the location yet to be determined.