WITS Help Desk


The WITS Help Desk is the on-campus resource for technology assistance and information for Willamette University staff, faculty, and students. We are regularly staffed by WITS professional staff and talented student employees and can assist with everything from circulation technology checkout to classroom emergencies to advice on drying out your rain-soaked laptop.

Our services are here to serve the benefit of the Willamette community at large. Come on by with any personally owned computer or technology question you can think of and we'll do our best to answer it. If we cannot directly assist or answer your question, we'll help you find the right person or group inside or outside of WITS to help meet your tech-related needs.

Contacting WITS for technology support

Here are the easiest ways to get help from WITS

  • Submit a Service Request
  • Email: wits@willamette.edu (It will be converted into a Service Request automatically)
  • Call: 503-370-6767 or, from a campus phone, just x6767
    (If after-hours, leave a message and it will be converted into a Service Request automatically)
  • Drop by Smullin 118 during university business hours; weekdays 8 AM to 5 PM (4:30 PM in Summer, closed holidays) and one of our stalwart students will be ready to assist (and create a Service Request for you...notice a trend?)

Windows or Macintosh

We are Mac and Windows friendly here at the Help Desk. Come on by during business hours and we'll try to help you with just about any problem you have with your computer...and we usually have free candy on-hand as well!

Need help with your desktop?

Give us a call first. Our workspace cannot accommodate multiple desktop computers. We can try to help you over the phone and it's possible to bring the whole thing in, but please don't do this before checking with a Help Desk employee.

Just some of the services we offer:

  • Wired and wireless network connectivity assistance
  • Help with all kinds of software (too many to list)
  • Internet, email, and university telephone system support
  • Initial diagnosis of hardware problems
  • Removal of viruses and malware
  • Data recovery (in a very limited form)

Ground Rules

Here are some things to expect from your visit to the Willamette University Help Desk:

  • Faculty and staff needing help with their university-owned computers will be routed to their designated User Services Consultant; please refrain from bringing these devices directly to the Help Desk.
  • We’re here to help you help yourself. The Help Desk can be a place of learning, so we will do our best to guide you towards a solution, rather than just do the work for you.
  • Be prepared to stay. Sometimes it can take a while to diagnose and solve problems, so be sure you have enough time to devote to the task.
  • Bring your power adapter. Even if you have a full battery, pack your AC adapter along. We do not have spares at the Help Desk and the last thing we want to happen is your computer to run out of juice while we're working on it.
  • We may be busy. We do our best to handle everything on a first-come-first-serve basis. There is a chance that when you show up, we will be helping other people and might not be able to assist you right away.
  • Priority is given to Academic/University business over personal issues.
  • We cannot perform hardware repairs. While we can assist you in determining what may be wrong with your computer, we can not open up your computer and work on any internal components.  We can, however, give you advice and provide tools for you to perform simple hardware upgrades (depending on your make/model of device). Anything beyond the basic user-serviceable or replaceable parts (usually hard drive / battery / memory) is best left to the manufacturer (Dell, Apple, etc) or a trusted repair shop.
  • Many modern laptops have few, if any, removable / replaceable components.  A solid 3+ year warranty is always a good idea.

There is some fine print:

  • If your question is about uncommon or outdated hardware/software we may not have an immediate answer for you
  • Our priorities are foremost about keeping you and your computer academically capable
  • Support for non-academically related issues will take a back seat if we get busy

A few things we cannot help you with:

  • Prohibited network equipment (wireless routers, etc.)
  • Games
  • Torrents or other non-academic file sharing
  • System Software Disks. We cannot provide Windows or Macintosh Operating System disks for you to use
  • Anything illegal, or deemed inappropriate in the eyes of Willamette University.

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