Technology Resources

ETS provides full support for college-owned computers. "Fully supported" means that ETS will make every attempt to perform any steps they are responsible for, with the expectation that they will perform one of the following: 

• Resolve the issue, including coordinating warranty support
• Completing the case/service request
• Escalating it to the appropriate person or group for resolution or completion 

• Browser troubleshooting
• University-owned and licensed software
• Application execution troubleshooting 

ETS provides limited support to connect personal devices to the university’s virtual private network (VPN). "Limited support" means that ETS will determine the level of support they can provide, which includes the following: 

• Providing the customer with standard instructions or guides such as self-help documentation for solution.
• Redirecting the customer to another resource for assistance with their case/service request. (see Referral services below for more information) 

"Referral" means ETS does not support the requested service; therefore, the customer will be referred to another resource (e.g., Help Desk, Instructional Technology Center, or another unit) for assistance with the case/service request. Referral services include, but are not limited to: 

• University provided storage access
• Creating, uploading and maintaining web pages
• Navigation assistance for any software or application
• Account activation, maintenance, or login troubleshooting of software or applications supported and managed by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) or another unit.

ETS is a central point of contact for college specific assistance with supported services listed in this document. Responsibilities and requirements of ETS include: 

• Interact with the college and university communities in a respectful and courteous manner.
• When possible, resolve the problem or complete the service request on first contact.
• Work with the customer to accurately and thoroughly document the incident description, comments, and resolution.
• Make a reasonable effort to ensure the customer's data is not lost.
• When necessary, escalate, assign, or refer the case to the appropriate area.
• Make every effort to respond to and resolve all cases assigned to ETS.
• Communicate updates and resolutions to service requests and or cases via email, or through the Case Management System (CMS).

When an incident or request for service is reported and needs a higher level of service our team will be responsible to reassign the user-initiated case or to create a case within the CMS if one does not exist and assign it to the appropriate party. The actual response time may vary depending on the volume of cases, the availability of resources, and the accuracy and completeness of the information provided. We strive to follow all guidelines and prioritize cases accordingly. Once a case is created the customer will be notified via email and as updates and resolutions take place on this case the customer will be notified. 

• Prioritization of the case will be done when creating the case (e.g., service or application is not working, network is down) these would be put on high priority.
• Creation and assignment of the case will be done by ETS. We strive to create cases that include all pertinent information for the quickest resolution.
• Escalation of cases will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
• Tracking and reporting cases 

An after-hours help desk, sponsored by the Office of Information Technology, provides support for Elearning issues when ETS and the on-campus help desk is closed. Please note that other types of issues will be escalated to ETS and/or the on-campus help desk for resolution during normal business hours. To reach the after-hours help desk, call (269) 387-4357. You can also create a case online and you will receive a response the next business day. 

All labs are closed during break.

Hours and locations

To reserve a lab, please contact the following offices:

• Sangren Hall Labs: Office of the Registrar
• North Korhman Hall Labs: Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

To use computer labs you must:

1. Be currently enrolled at Western Michigan University or currently employed faculty or staff.
2. Have your Western Michigan University ID with you.

All people using information technology computer labs must comply with these rules. Violators will first be issued a warning. If the rules are still not complied with, one may be asked to leave and may lose lab privileges and/or also incur monetary charges to one's WMU account. In addition, violators may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action as defined by current University policy.”

• No food or beverages of any kind allowed.
• Do not abuse the hardware, software or lab personnel.
• Do not change any system, software or hardware settings or connections.
• Only use your own authorized computer accounts and do not use other people's computer accounts.
• Follow all rules, regulations and guidelines set forth in the WMU Student Code of Conduct and abide by all guidelines for ethical use of computers.
• Be courteous to those around you and maintain a library-like atmosphere.
• Do not print anything for non-academic use and do not put your own paper in any lab printer.
• Recycle any waste paper and clean up your work area before leaving.

Individuals or departments who desire to have software modified or installed in computer labs must abide by the following guidelines and procedures.

• All software must be approved by OIT’s IT Planning and Compliance Review Process and having a signed contract by Office of Legal Affairs, Risk and Compliance.
• All software installed must have permanent licenses or be licensed for a minimum of one academic year.
• ETS will not install demonstration software.
• Any requests failing to meet the above criteria will not to be accommodated.