A SWAT team storming the halls may become a common sight in freshman dormitories during the next two weeks.
But members of the Students with Access to Technology team, organized by the Office of Information Technology are not trying to ambush dangerous criminals. Instead, they are available to help freshmen through the trials of computer installation.
Clad in blue T-shirts, the group of more than forty students will be roaming throughout freshman halls, helping freshmen install Ethernet service and providing Netscape, FTP and Telnet software. SWAT team members will be divided into groups of 15-20 in order to assist two or three dorms each night during the next couple of weeks.
In past years, many freshmen have had difficulty with getting connected, said Betty LeCompagnon, vice provost for information technology. The SWAT team is designed to help alleviate that problem, LeCompagnon said.
At precisely 4:45 p.m. yesterday, the SWAT team congregated in a Pegram Dormitory commons room and discussed its upcoming mission. Later that night, the SWAT team descended upon Pegram and Bassett, and throughout the night, rescued potential victims of difficult Ethernet installation.
"I'm very thankful for [the service]," said Trinity freshman Carrie Campbell. "I'm relatively clueless [about the installation], and I don't know how to get my computer hooked up." Campbell said she plans to use her computer mainly for e-mail and word processing.
Unlike most other OIT services, the Ethernet installation is not free. Students must pay a connection fee of $15 and must buy an Ethernet card, which can range from $49 to $100, depending on the computer, LeCompagnon said.
"It's not very expensive, and [SWAT team service] is well worth the fifteen dollars," she said.
Freshmen, however, are not the only ones benefiting from the creation of the team.
"It's a good experience, and it pays money," said engineering sophomore Ted Harder, a SWAT team member, as he sat tinkering with Campbell's computer.
The team plans to visit all freshman dorms twice. Today they will assist Brown and Alspaugh residents, and tomorrow, Giles and Wilson residents. On Thursday, the team will be at Jarvis, Aycock and Epworth. Service continues next Monday in Randolph and Blackwell and next Tuesday in Southgate and Gilbert-Addoms. The team will then revisit all East Campus dorms on Sept. 5 and 6.
As of now, the team's plans are only to provide service to East Campus, but upperclassmen may also receive assistance if there is sufficient demand, said LeCompagnon.
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