The CUNY/CIS Help Desk (one part of the CUNY/CIS Support Center) was introduced to the user community in March of 1988 to supplement the Consulting Office functions, which have been available since the University Computer Center opened in 1973. The Help Desk is the point of contact for reporting all problems relating to university-wide computing at CUNY/CIS and for receiving up-to-date information on system changes and availability.

The Help Desk is open from Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and consists of three full-time staff members. Anna Finn, Help Desk Coordinator, began her career at CUNY/CIS in operations as an intern from LaGuardia College in 1975. She oversees the daily functioning of the department, assisted by two full time staff, Linda Figueroa, who started working at the Help Desk as a LaGuardia intern in 1989 and Paul Abrilla, also a former LaGuardia intern, who came to the Help Desk in 1994 after working in the Operations area. Edna Seabrooks, a veteran CUNY/CIS staffer well known to the Campus Liaison Officers, assists part-time as well.

Help Desk staff: Linda Figueroa, Paul Abrilla, and Edna Seabrooks
(Photo by Aron Eisenpress)

Together they field a wide variety of computer-related queries (the number averages about a thousand a month). "Some people are brand new to computing, and nervous." Figueroa says. "They need very basic information, from how to log onto the system or clear a screen. For example, they may log onto CUNYVM and find they can't enter the commands they type. We ask `Does the word MORE or HOLDING appear at the lower right hand corner of your screen?' If so, we ask what terminal type or PC they're using and tell them the proper key strokes for clearing the screen. Once they've done this, they can proceed. We try to walk them through the process and reassure them that they won't bring down the system if they hit the wrong key."

"More experienced users have different kinds of questions," Abrilla adds. "We get a good number of questions about moving data between systems -- from WYLBUR to VM and back. There are several solutions, and we offer whichever one seems to fit the situation. We also refer them to on-line Help Files, and to CUNY/CIS-produced documentation that CUNY/CIS distributes to the campuses, including a Quick Guide about file transfer. In fact, there's a lot of documentation that's both specific to CUNY and also addresses general subjects. If someone wants to know what software CUNY supports, we direct them to the online list (Help SOFTWARE) of what's available. Once they know that, they can look at individual help files that will give a description of a particular package along with instructions for using it."

Technical questions are often referred to CUNY/CIS staff members who act as consultants in matters related to their area of specialization -- job control language, for example, or issues related to hardware.

"We handle basic questions related to gopher, FTP and telnet," says Seabrooks, "but in the case of networking that falls outside of our area of expertise, we pass it on." When such a question comes in, a Help Desk staff member takes the name, telephone number, school, and userid of the caller, and a basic description of the problem. Should a consultant be unavailable at the time, the call will be returned or a message sent electronically at the earliest opportunity. If a call requiring followup is received after consulting hours (1 p.m.-5 p.m.), it will be logged and a consultant will respond on the following work day.

"The Help Desk is a busy place," Figueroa says, "but it's fun, and no matter how hectic it gets, it's always a learning experience, for our users and for us."

-- by Anna Finn

Overheard at the Help Desk (over and over again!)

User: I'm logged onto CUNYVM. but I get no response to my command. At the bottom right hand corner of the screen, I see `CP Read.' What do I have to do to continue working?

Help Desk: You could be in `CP Read' for a number of reasons. Maybe the key was pressed, or an application failed. If you wish to continue working where you left off, type: Begin. Alternatively, you can refresh your session by entering: Ipl CMS.

Note: If you've tried the Begin command, but still cannot work, you may refresh your session by typing: #CP I CMS

User: I'd like to use the library catalog. On the screen I see a prompt for userid and password, but I don't have a computer account. Do I need a userid to use CUNYPLUS?

Help Desk: No. On the CUNYVM logo screen, there's a COMMAND prompt. Skip over the userid and password prompts, and at the command prompt type: Dial VTAM. A menu will then be displayed, and you can select CUNYPLUS.

User: My password expired, and the new passwords that I've tried have not been accepted. What's the problem?

Help Desk: Passwords for a RACF userid, i.e., an id on either CUNYVM or WYLBUR, must be 6-8 characters in length, and must be completely different from the last 7 passwords you've used.

User: I issued the MAIL command to process my incoming mail and have discarded numerous items. I do not have enough disk space to QUIT from MAIL at this point, and if I enter QQUIT, the discarded items will remain. Is there anything I can do in order to quit without having to repeat all this work?

Help Desk: Yes. If you type Help MAILQUIT, you will be shown a number of procedures that you may use, and suggestions on how to avoid situations like this in the future.