News Staff Reporter
A new ITS Annex has been built in what was formerly the site of Bob the Barber’s shop in the basement of Hill House dining hall. Bob Lien retired this past fall after 41 years.Officially opened for business on Monday, January 16th, the Annex is an extension of the ITS Help Desk. Members of the ITS Help Desk will staff the new space from 11 am to 1:30 pm during lunch hours on school days. There, students and faculty will be able to come for computer assistance. RVI Computers, an outside company, will also have staff in the Annex for more extensive repairs and supplies.The space is open to all the members of the community as a store front, and services that a member of the community would access by calling the Help Desk or by visiting ITS in Brownell will now be available in the new Annex.According to ITS Operations Manager Andrew Speyer, the ITS Annex was built with the convenience of students in mind. He explained that it would be much more convenient for the students to bring their CPUs to an ITS location near the main campus rather than having to lug computers uphill to Brownell in upper campus. Kathleen Wallace, Dean of Academic Affairs, said that the administration wanted to give the school something that would benefit the community.The construction of the ITS Annex comes after considerable thought as to what to make of the newly vacated space; the location had been a barber shop for almost half a century. Some of the other options that were suggested for the usage of the space were a room for back packs, an interview room for the College Office, a unisex hairstylist, a student-faculty kiosk, an ice cream parlor, a unisex bathroom, or the day student director’s office. The administration eventually decided that a space for ITS seemed the most appropriate and useful.The cost of tearing out parts of the old barbershop to put in new counters, paint, carpet, and wiring was approximately $7,000, according to Mr. Speyer.Mrs. Wallace said that the faculty, staff, and many of the students she has talked to had very positive responses to the ITS Annex and will be a very practical and functional space for everybody in the Choate community.
