The Help Desk, located in the URI Library, is staffed by 19 students who provide technical assistance to URI's computer users.

"The student workers are everything at the Help Desk," said Mary Fetherston, the manager of the Help Desk. "They are the best workers on campus."

Those students respond to thousands of problems, including assistance with operating systems, E-mail services, Internet browsers, computer programs, like iTunes, and web-based programs, such as e-Campus and diagnostics for hardware problems.

As of Oct. 9, the Help Desk generated 2,562 troubleshooting tickets, a 32 percent jump from the same period of last year, and Fetherston expects a similar increase for the whole year.