professor filreis,

the job of residential computer coordinator (rcc) is an interesting one. i am mainly responsible for two things. first and foremost, i take care of the computer cluster in my dorm. there are ten macintosh computers (mostly power pcs with cd-rom), a scanner, and a beautiful laser printer. this includes keeping the computers running, watching for problems with the network (the official title is local network administrator), and answering questions. the other major responsibility is to the form residents. i am responsible for either answering or finding the answer to their questions, which include anything from setup and minor maintenance, to modems, slip connections, and in-room connections. i am not responsible for answering questions about cs homework (good thing- i'm an english major). there are is a large network of support in the form of a residential computing staff, which i access with my questions. it is emphasized that the residents come to me, and i go through the hierarchy to find the answers. in many dorms, the rcc takes on a greater role in residential staff, becoming somewhat of another residential assistant (ra) to the residents (which is not the case in my apartment-style dorm).

i think the system works incredibly well. so much of the work that students do is late at night and having someone available at almost all hours (i've been woken up in the middle of the night before) is important. in fact, the reason i got into it is because my rcc last year was amazing and extremely helpful.

i hope i've been helpful. let me know if there is something i didn't cover.

andrea harzstark

Andrea Harzstark
andreah@leland.stanford.edu, andreah@rescomp.stanford.edu