UW Gazette, September 10, 1997

                              

     UW people engaged in the "very challenging and
stressful job" of providing computer support in their
faculties will have their own support group when the FACulty
Computing User Support Group (FACCUS) is launched this week.
     Computer support people must not only be knowledgeable
about existing systems, but au courant with new computer
developments, as well. To that end, FACCUS will offer
monthly professional development seminars demonstrating
cutting-edge computing technology from a computer support
perspective. The group will also provide opportunities for
information exchange and problem support.
     A similar group has been successfully run for computer
people in the academic support units for some time, said
Paul Snyder, who will co-chair the new group with Bob Hicks,
both of Information Systems and Technology.
     "We thought a group related to faculties would be
useful," he said, noting that there has been "lots of
interest" expressed so far from that population, which
numbers about 80.
     An inaugural meeting tomorrow from 1:30 to 3:00 in
Davis Centre room 1302 will chart the direction for the
coming term and present an update on Polaris - the "next
generation Watstar" - and UW site-licensed software.
     To register, e-mail mlmartin@ist; for more information,
contact co-chairs Snyder, ext. 3020, or Hicks, ext. 2194.