Jay Jones, a CIS major at Amarillo College, troubleshoots technology at AC’s Computer Service Center.

The Amarillo College Computer Service Center has been an invaluable technological lifeline for students since its inception in March of 2015.

It has since become a résumé-building opportunity for a handful of interns and a beyond-campus service provider – all because hard-working college students face challenges enough without having to deal with unreliable technology.

“Technology shouldn’t be a barrier for students,” said Andrew Flores, consumer electronics buyer for the AC Bookstore and chief architect of the Computer Service Center. “This came about because our students need access to reliable technology.

“We developed this Center to serve our students, and now we are able to offer our services to the community, as well.’’

The Computer Service Center is located inside AC’s Bookstore on the Washington Street Campus. It was established as a troubleshooting and repair service for the hundreds of students who each semester purchase notebook computers and tablets at the Bookstore.

An internship program was established. Now students who major in computer information systems staff the Center, so the future programmers and developers of tomorrow are performing dependable and affordable services today, for anyone in need of them.

That’s right. Anyone with computer issues is welcome to seek help at the AC’s Computer Service Center, or give them a call at (806) 371-5304 to find out more.

The Center performs factory resets, cleaning/optimization, and warranty registration, all free of charge. It also performs fee-based services such as virus removal, data transfer/recovery, software installation and hardware repair, each at highly competitive, set rates; costs are determined in advance of any work.

The Center services, on average, two computers daily, and AC students often can drop them off on the way to a class and pick them up afterwards, although some services take longer. Approximately 64 percent of the services performed by the Center so far have been of the no-cost variety.

Center hours during the summer are 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m.-noon on Fridays. Fall hours are the same except on Fridays, when the Center is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

In an effort to provide even more technological benefits to AC students this fall, the Center will introduce a new security ESET package for those who purchase a Windows tablet or notebook. That package, at a cost of $29.99, includes installation of the ESET Smart Security software, a $59.99 value, along with courtesy installation of Mozilla and Chrome, reducing both frustration and time between point of purchase and usability.

“We were hoping the Center would grow and it has,” Dennis Leslie, Bookstore manager, said. “We especially like that the work is being performed by AC students majoring in CIS. It not only ensures that our student body is getting access to reliable technology, but that our CIS students are gaining valuable experience in the field of their choice.

Leslie said he hopes soon to expand “win-win” internship opportunities at the Bookstore by putting some marketing, graphic arts and photography majors to work on some expanded marketing initiatives he has in mind.

“Giving students a chance to expand their horizons is what AC is all about,” he said. “Their work benefits us a great deal, and they get valuable, real-life experience at the same time. We need to do more of that, and we intend to.”

June 21, 2016