A technology support specialist creates safe ways for students to solve their computer problems. A technical director for theater and dance finds a surprising way to provide offstage guidance.
And an associate director at the Center for Purposeful Work and her colleagues respond to the pandemic by doubling down, being even 鈥渕ore engaged, more intentional, more thoughtful, more 辫耻谤辫辞蝉别蹿耻濒.鈥
Whether students are feeling down, or need help getting their feet back on the ground, they get the support they need from the 乐播传媒 staff, whose work helps position students for success in their work with the equally talented and devoted 乐播传媒 faculty.
Each week for the next five weeks, we鈥檒l continue to share three portraits of 乐播传媒 staff members who have responded to the needs of our students during a time of crisis. Totaling 21 staffers, from 19 different college offices, these 乐播传媒 people rise to the challenge when students need somebody 鈥 not just anybody.
Keith Hord
A technology support specialist at the Help Desk in Ladd Library, Keith Hord manages 25 students who work in-person and remotely to triage and answer technology questions from the entire campus community.
Like so many businesses and operations everywhere, the pandemic has forced the Help Desk to develop no-touch services. So when someone brings their computer or phone or other device to the Help Desk, we can help them with software issues without touching the device. All they need to do is plug a single cord into the computer and we can control it in a safe environment.
We鈥檝e also created and support a virtual desktop infrastructure for our 乐播传媒 clients. VDI allows students to gain remote access to a computer 鈥 one that might have special, proprietary software 鈥 without needing to physically visit a computer lab.
With users interacting with us in different ways, we鈥檝e tried to simplify what can be complicated steps for some technology solutions, creating easy-to-follow instructions to expand and evolve our self-service experience.
Effective customer service means you have to meet your client鈥檚 expectations. Before the pandemic, folks expected that they would just stop by the Help Desk and wait in line if necessary. That鈥檚 not safe in a pandemic, so we鈥檝e educated our users to expect that they鈥檒l need to make appointments with us. We鈥檙e also offering more remote support so they don’t need to physically come to the Help Desk at all.
Justin Moriarity
Technical director for the theater and dance departments, Justin Moriarity taught his first theater course at 乐播传媒 during the fall semester, on stage management.
A year ago, on Friday, March 13, we got word that 乐播传媒 would move to remote learning due to the pandemic.
That evening, with the curtain closing on our in-person semester, around 鈥100鈥 鈥宱f鈥 鈥寀s鈥 鈥実athered鈥 鈥宼ogether鈥 鈥宨n鈥 鈥宎鈥 鈥宐rightly鈥 鈥宭it鈥 鈥孏annett鈥 鈥孴heater鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宻how鈥 鈥宱ur鈥 鈥宻upport鈥 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥寃atch鈥 鈥宎鈥 鈥宺emarkable鈥 鈥実roup鈥 鈥宱f鈥 鈥宻tudents鈥 stage 鈥宎鈥 鈥宖ar鈥-from鈥-鈥宑ompleted鈥 鈥宲roduction.鈥
鈥孴he鈥 鈥宻et鈥 鈥寃as鈥 鈥宧alf鈥-finished.鈥 鈥孡ights鈥 鈥宻till鈥 鈥宯eeded鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宐e鈥 鈥宧ung鈥 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥宖ocused.鈥 鈥孴here鈥 鈥寃as鈥 鈥宻o鈥 鈥宮uch鈥 鈥宻till鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宒o.鈥 鈥孨o one鈥 鈥寃as鈥 鈥宺eady鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥実o鈥 鈥宒ark鈥, 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥宻o鈥 鈥寃e鈥 鈥宺allied鈥 鈥宼ogether鈥 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥宒id鈥 鈥宻omething鈥 鈥寀nforgettable.鈥 鈥孖鈥 鈥宺emember鈥 鈥宐eing鈥 鈥寀nmasked,鈥 鈥宭aughing,鈥 鈥宑rying,鈥 鈥宲acked鈥 鈥宨n鈥 鈥宎鈥 鈥宒usty鈥 鈥宐lack鈥 鈥宺oom with what鈥 鈥宯ow鈥 鈥寃ould鈥 鈥宻ound鈥 鈥宭ike鈥 鈥宻ome鈥 鈥宯ightmare鈥 鈥宻uper鈥-spreader鈥 鈥宔vent.鈥 鈥學e鈥 鈥宭oved鈥 鈥宎bsolutely鈥 鈥宔very鈥 鈥宮oment鈥 鈥宱f鈥 鈥宨t.鈥
Our鈥 鈥宻tudents,鈥 鈥宭ike鈥 鈥宻o鈥 鈥宮any鈥 鈥宱f鈥 鈥寀s,鈥 鈥宩ust鈥 鈥寃anted鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宖eel鈥 鈥宑onnected.鈥 鈥孴his鈥 鈥宨s鈥 鈥寃hy鈥 鈥寃e鈥 鈥宭ove鈥 鈥宭ive鈥 鈥宲erformance.鈥 The鈥 鈥宻pace鈥 鈥寃e鈥 鈥宑reate鈥 鈥宼ogether鈥 鈥宨s鈥 鈥宻acred.鈥
We returned in the fall to a 鈥宯ew鈥 鈥寃orld 鈥 where鈥 鈥16鈥 鈥宲eople鈥 鈥寃ill鈥 鈥宐e鈥 鈥宱ur鈥 鈥宯ew鈥 鈥宮ax鈥 鈥宑apacity鈥 鈥宨n鈥 鈥孏annett,鈥 鈥寃here鈥 鈥宎ir鈥 鈥宖ist鈥 鈥宐umps鈥 鈥宺eplace鈥宒 鈥宼he鈥 鈥宭ong鈥 鈥宧eld鈥 鈥宔mbraces. So it was even more important to do what we do best. Treat鈥 鈥宔ach student鈥 鈥宎s鈥 鈥宎n鈥 鈥宨ndividual鈥. Look for鈥 鈥寃ays鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宧elp them succeed, but also encourage鈥 鈥宼hem鈥 鈥宼o鈥 step鈥 鈥宱ut鈥 鈥宱f鈥 鈥宼heir鈥 鈥宑omfort鈥 鈥寊ones鈥 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥宖ail鈥 鈥宐rilliantly.鈥
鈥學ith limited opportunities for in-person performance during the pandemic, I鈥檝e looked 鈥宖or鈥 鈥宨nnovative ways鈥 to help students 鈥宎pply鈥 鈥宻ome鈥 鈥宱f鈥 鈥宼he鈥 鈥宑oncepts鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宼heir鈥 鈥宨ndividual鈥 鈥寃ork鈥 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥宲ersonal鈥 鈥宨nterests.鈥 鈥
One example was in October, when two students in 鈥宮y course, 鈥淪tage鈥 Management for the Performing Arts,鈥 were an integral part of a public protest on the Coram Terrace 鈥 a 乐播传媒 place that actually served as a venue for public theater long ago.
Because ideas about power, privilege, and difference are built into this course, as well as anti-racist theater practice, we as a class referenced the student protest and connected it to the specific course content we were studying, event production, along with the larger role that artists play in social movements.
,鈥 from Broadway for Black Lives Matter, in which Frank Leon Roberts references the role artists play and how we are geared for this type of organizing and presentation of thoughts and ideas.
To鈥 鈥宲ut鈥 鈥宨t鈥 鈥寁ery鈥 鈥宻imply,鈥 鈥孖鈥 鈥宼ry鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宮eet鈥 鈥宻tudents鈥 鈥寃here鈥 鈥宼hey鈥 鈥宎re鈥 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥宺espect鈥 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥宧onor鈥 鈥宼he鈥 鈥宬nowledge鈥 鈥宼hey鈥 鈥宐ring鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宼he鈥 鈥寃ork.鈥 鈥孖鈥屸檓 a 鈥実uide鈥 鈥宱n鈥 鈥宼he鈥 鈥宻ide鈥, 鈥宎s鈥 鈥宱pposed鈥 鈥宼o鈥 鈥宼he鈥 鈥宻age鈥 鈥宱n鈥 鈥宻tage鈥, 鈥宱ffer鈥宨ng 鈥寃hatever鈥 鈥宔xpertise鈥 鈥宎long鈥 鈥宼he鈥 鈥宩ourney.鈥 鈥孖t鈥 鈥宯ever鈥 鈥実ets鈥 鈥宱ld鈥 鈥宎nd鈥 鈥宨s鈥 鈥宎lways鈥 鈥宺ewarding.鈥 鈥
Hoi Ning Ngai
Hoi Ning Ngai is wearing two 乐播传媒 hats these days. She鈥檚 an associate director for employer engagement and business advising for the 乐播传媒 Center for Purposeful Work, and also an interim associate dean with the Office of Intercultural Education.
Our motto at Purposeful Work throughout the pandemic has been, 鈥淲e鈥檙e here for you.鈥 But that鈥檚 always been our motto. We’ve always been responsive to students and their needs, so the pandemic has simply pushed us to be more ourselves than ever before 鈥 more engaged, more intentional, more thoughtful, more purposeful.
Last March, as soon as we learned that 乐播传媒 would move to remote learning, we pivoted everything we did, from in-person to virtual platforms. In some ways, it鈥檚 been a boon.
Students who are off campus for whatever reason have better access to us and our programs, and we鈥檝e been able to 鈥渂ring to campus鈥 alumni and employers for panels and information sessions without the challenges of travel, time, and cost. We鈥檝e recorded the majority of our programs and placed them on our website for convenient, password-protected access to 乐播传媒 students.
For individual student appointments, we鈥檝e leaned on Zoom for virtual meetings and, to the degree that the weather permits, the outdoors for in-person meetings. I鈥檒l always remember sitting with a student on the porch at Canham House, our headquarters, as freezing rain came down around us last fall. (I鈥檓 pretty weather resilient, but that was my last in-person appointment of the semester!)
I鈥檝e had great Zoom conversations with first-year 乐播传媒 students from China, Pakistan, and other faraway places. I mean, community is community. Even across the screen, we can create that 鈥 at least some of that.
Students have been doing their best to navigate the new way of life at 乐播传媒 in 2020鈥21. That said, they鈥檙e simply worn out and Zoomed out 鈥 as all of us are. Their inboxes are overrun, their eyes are strained, all of their days blend together. This isn鈥檛 the college life they signed up for.
We鈥檙e helping students craft their COVID resilience stories to share with interviewers for internships and jobs.
There are no perfect solutions to any of these challenges, especially when we鈥檙e all experiencing them. What we can do is inject levity when possible, acknowledge the need for rest, listen as students tell us about their struggles, be as responsive as we can be, and connect students to internal and external resources as appropriate.
As our students look ahead to opportunities where they can hone in on what feels purposeful to them, we鈥檙e helping them craft their COVID resilience stories to share with interviewers for internships and jobs. Interviewers always ask us to talk about how we’ve dealt with unexpected situations 鈥 if the pandemic isn鈥檛 the best example, I’m not sure what is.
And that’s what we need to help students focus on: The world continues to turn, so they need to show how they鈥檝e faced ongoing uncertainty with critical reflection and thoughtful action. In so many ways, students have been resilient 鈥 we need to help them see and highlight that resilience.
