About ResNET
Mission
To positively shape the quality of UNC Chapel Hill on-campus residential communities by enhancing the intellectual environment with professional, timely and reliable on-site IT support, education and cutting-edge IT tools and services to facilitate research and the discovery of new knowledge.
ResNET offers...
- Residential Technology Programs
- Technical Support and Services
- Residential Hall Wi-Fi Access in Common Areas
- Living Enhancement Projects
- IT Career Opportunities
Service Goals
- To achieve 90% or higher customer satisfaction.
- To contact all customers within 24 hours of a Request for Help Ticket being created.
- To solve all assigned issues on the first visit.
Organization
ResNET (Residential Networking, Education & Technology) is part of User Support & Engagement, a division of ITS. ResNET is funded through a Housing technology fee, paid for by all on-campus residents. ResNET works closely with the Department of Housing & Residential Education as well as ITS, to ensure that the needs of all on-campus residents are met.
ResNET employs 3 full time staff members who are part of the management team and 50 student employees (RCC's) who make up some of the best and brightest students within UNC. Part of the uniqueness of the UNC ResNet program is how they do business - the students live and work solely in the UNC residence halls.
History
The UNC-CH ResNET program began as a pilot project during the 1996-1997 academic year in Old East and Old West residence halls through a grant provided by the Smallwood Foundation. After a highly successful and popular first year, a wiring project was begun in order to bring all UNC residence halls onto the campus-wide network. In spring of 1998 the 4 South Campus high rise residence halls were connected. Wiring quickly spread northward through campus until January of 1999, when every resident in all 29 halls had an ethernet port to use in their room. Thanks to upgrades through 2005, all wired ports now operate at 100 Mbps. Thanks in part to the success of the Carolina Computing Initiative, between spring 1999 when the final residence hall was turned on and fall 2000, the peak utilization rate on campus soared from 40% to roughly 100%!
What's in a name?
ResNET is a common term used by many universities across the U.S. and Europe to refer to their Residential Networking programs. Although we do provide residential IT support and services to about 8300 residents spread across 33 on-campus residence halls and apartments, we do much more than that. We do educational programs on IT technologies as well as social programs like Xbox Tournaments. The ResNET program here at UNC-Chapel Hill is one of the largest in the country.
