Multimedia Development Gets a Boost
John Farquhar

ATUS is very pleased to welcome two new multimedia artists to our Instructional Development team. Rochelle Parry joins us as a Graphic Designer/Web Developer while Keith Mack is taking over responsibilities as our Manager of Digital Video Services.

Rochelle has a broad range of experience in graphic design for both the web and for print materials. Her most recent career experience was designing documentation for Microsoft Windows business applications. She enjoys working on a Macintosh but is fluent on both platforms. She is expert in applications such as Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, HTML and CSS and is available to help you with your web design needs.

Rochelle holds a B.S. in Graphic Communications from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a graduate certificate in User Centered Design from the University of Washington. She enjoys snowboarding, surfing, mountain biking and her two cats, and is involved in the campus chapter of the Surfrider foundation. Please stop by and say hello in MH 181, or contact Rochelle at 650-2998, or email.

Keith Mack has more than 20 years of experience teaching instrumental music, language arts and social studies for the Meridian School District here in Whatcom County. In 2001 Keith moved out of the public schools to hone his skills as a media designer and became an educational consultant with The Learning Space.

In the video field Keith has instructed workshops for students and educators focusing on production and storytelling values. He has presented and conducted workshops and innovative programs on video as well as web design and online communication at regional and national conferences. Keith and his wife Karen enjoy the slow pace of life in rural Whatcom County with their two silky terriers and occasional visits from two grown children. Contact Keith at 650-6193, or email for consultation and service requests.

Macintosh Network Users Group Initiated
Linc Nesheim

Shortly after the start of winter quarter, a group of faculty and staff met to share ideas on the best tips and tricks for accessing Western network services on their Macintosh computers. This newly-formed Mac Users Group will be meeting again soon. We will be setting up a monthly meeting schedule and begin to map out future topics of interest. If you are interested in joining the email distribution list for this group, or just want to know where the next meeting will be, please contact Linc Nesheim at 650-6546 or email.

While most campus computers are PCs (i.e. Intel/Windows-based systems), there are a significant number of Macintosh computers in use both in offices and computer labs. Newer Macintosh computers that can use the OS X operating system can now log in to the campus network and take advantage of departmental network storage space, a gigabyte of personal network storage space, and many other features of the network. Other Macintosh computers that can’t directly log into our standard Novell network still have access to the Exchange/Outlook email and calendaring system and other resources over the web.

Rest assured that ATUS plans to provide ongoing support for Macintosh users on campus. ITS/ATUS currently supports two general university Macintosh computer labs (CF 161 and FI 101) and one shared Macintosh lab (MH 66) as well as approximately 100 Macintosh computers used by departments, faculty, and staff.

We encourage all Macintosh users to join our new user group.

Classroom changes 2005-2006
Nancy Grayum

As academic departments develop plans for next year’s Timetable, it may be helpful to be aware of some changes and renovations that will impact classroom seating in the near future.

When the dust settles, Western will have added eight new general university classrooms in Bond Hall, and increased seating in several renovated classrooms, resulting in an overall increase of 324 seats at Bond Hall.

Classroom technology details are available on the Classroom Services web pages at www.wwu.edu/atus. Here is a summary of changes to come.

SUMMER 2005

• All BH classrooms closed for renovation.
• AH 102 and AH 103 closed permanently, becoming Dining Services space. Media components from AH 103 installed in AH 225, upgrading it from Level 3 to Level 4 classroom.
• CH 131, 133 and 135 closed due to relocation of departments from BH renovation.

FALL 2005

• All Bond Hall first floor and mezzanine rooms re-open; media levels contingent upon legislative funding.
• New classroom BH 173 opens with 24 seats
• All BH second floor classrooms remain closed for renovation.
• New BH fourth floor classrooms open and prepared for future mediation; media levels contingent upon legislative funding:
  BH 401-42 seats, BH 415-52 seats, BH 417-33 seats, BH 419-37 seats, BH 422-40 seats, BH 428-44 seats
• CH 131, 133 and 135 remain closed due to relocation of departments from BH renovation.
• ES 70, 74, 78 closed permanently, becoming new home for Environmental Health & Safety during upcoming construction of the Academic Instructional Center.

WINTER 2006

• All BH second floor classrooms re-open, media levels contingent upon legislative funding.
• BH 217 (and 219), combined 51-seat classroom.
• BH 223 (and 225), combined 51-seat classroom.
• CH 131, 133 and 135 may re-open.
• New classroom BH 317 opens with 42 seats.

Tech Tips
Fred Robson

Website access is now available to the general campus community for purchasing computer equipment. As a WWU employee you can configure and obtain a quote on the Apple, Dell, or Gateway custom WWU websites and attach the quote number or quote page to your purchase request.

The recommended configurations are preconfigured with the Western software image. At each site there are pull down menus to select different options like monitors, memory size, hard drives, optical drives etc. so you can tailor your purchase to your needs.

For further information, please contact Fred Robson ATUS Computer Maintenance at 650-7737 or Susan Banton in Purchasing 650-2430.

Apple

Gateway

Dell: Email Kirk_Kelton@Dell.com Request access to the Dell Premier Web site for WWU. He will create a profile and grant access to WWU employees and email you back the Web site.

Same Help Desk Service, New Space
Linc Nesheim

During the December break the ATUS Help Desk moved to a new home within Haggard Hall. While this relocation to Haggard Hall 123 was only a few doors down the hallway, the new space has greatly improved access and convenience for our clients.

This new location accommodates more clients and more staff, as well as extra client workstations that allow our staff to work directly with walk-in customers with any issues they may have.

An added benefit to the new location is the co-location with both a general university computer lab in HH122 and the Student Technology Center in HH121. The Student Technology Center and the student portion of the ATUS Help Desk are natural complements in both services and functions. Students and faculty can move freely between the Student Technology Center, computer lab, and Help Desk to facilitate support of various teaching and learning needs.

As always, we encourage everyone to call, email, or stop by the ATUS Help Desk should you have any technology support questions.

ATUS Help Desk, Haggard Hall 123, 650-3333
Email
Web page

Classroom Projector Evaluations

Departments who are considering purchasing new LCD projectors often consult with ATUS Media Maintenance and Engineering 650-2862 regarding evaluation and specifications. We research specific models for unique spaces, and also maintain relationships with manufacturers regarding warranty repairs and parts replacements.

In January 2005, we coordinated an opportunity to evaluate new models of LCD projectors side-by-side.

For further details, see the ATUS news update.

www.training.wwu.edu

The WWU training website offers information and online registration for training opportunities for faculty, staff and students. This is the site to watch for upcoming training sessions on Office 2003, the new Bullseye Targeted Messaging, and OpenCMS, a web development tool.

Currently listed are workshops scheduled by ATUS Training, Human Resources Training and Development, Environmental Health and Safety and the Student Technology Center.

After logging in, you can register for workshops or click the My Training link in the upper right corner to see upcoming classes for which you are currently registered. You also can cancel registrations or see classes for which you are on the waiting list and a history of classes you have taken or requested.

You may want to bookmark the site and check it regularly for updates.

iPods Pique STC Interest, Workshops Deliver Skills
John Farquhar

Matt Bisch, in high spirits as the iPod winner at the Student Technology Center grand opening.

The Student Technology Center gained new ground this academic year with events and activities aimed at introducing hundreds of new students to the convenient new location in Haggard Hall 121.

During our grand re-opening on November 16th, more than 500 students dropped in, enjoying presentations and demos from Dell and Apple representatives and entering their names in the drawings for iPods and other fun Western gifts. The STC staff took the opportunity to show them around the new location and pique their interest in the services offered there.

As a result of similar promotional efforts, student participation in STC workshops has increased substantially during winter quarter. In the first four weeks of January, 113 students had attended 17 different workshops, including advanced classes in Web Development and Photoshop.

Most students are signing up for the STC workshops on the Home tab of MyWestern, which lists workshops and offers online registration for the entire STC curriculum. Students can also use the online service to request topics or alternate times.

Faculty members can request training sessions to support particular curricular goals for specific classes by using the website or by calling Susan Brown at 650-7222. Susan can also arrange for ATUS staff members to present portions of the class sessions requested by faculty.