From Temporary Student Worker to Senior Web-Student

I started working for Web Services in September of my first year, three years ago. The college was deep in the process of moving the site into Drupal, and I was one of three students hired to help clean up and convert content. However, I shortly became the only student working with the two full-time staff on the College website. Our to-do lists always exceeded our time availability and often resulted in the resort to shortcuts. Though timesaving then, these shortcuts cost us (and ultimately the College) in the long run.

Leonya Ivanov, Online Media and Web Coordinator, and I saw the need for additional help in order to put the website on the cutting edge and help Web Services stay ahead of the game. In talking, we acknowledged that a vast pool of talent lay before us: the student body.

Now, in my final year at Grinnell, the site is undergoing a complete renovation, including an upgrade to the latest version of Drupal. To help with the renovation, Leonya and I put together a plan to start a Web Help Desk run by students. Leonya appointed me as "Senior Web-Student" and charged me with the task of heading the Web Help Desk under his guidance and direction.

We successfully launched with six students (besides myself) covering 60-some hours weekly. With the Web Help Desk, we aim to provide the campus much needed support and to continue improving even after the new site launches. With the Web Help Desk, we aim to create a more sustainable group working on the site and to keep the site on the cutting edge.

The Web Help Desk can be reached at x9830 or by e-mailing webstudents@grinnell.edu.