Powered On: Aug 2025

Tickets here, Get your TICKETS!

By Justin Smith

The time has come! Your new ticketing system is finally here!

aka, The I.T. "Help-Desk"

New Features:

Open a Ticket
Browse help Articles
Request a Service
- Office Moves
- Computer Quotes
- Shared Mailbox Access
- Colleague Access

http://helpdesk.canyons.edu

When you generate a ticket, automations are in play to help expedite your request and contact the appropriate team member to work on your issue. In some cases, service requests even generate multiple tasks to activate multiple teams. Login today to familiarize yourself with the new website.

Once you’ve entered a request for service, or reported an issue, you can check the status on it later. Simply login, and select the menu icon on the top left.

MENU icon (top left)

Example of Helpdesk.canyons.edu website.

Tickets

Example of helpdesk.canyons.edu website.

http://helpdesk.canyons.edu

Embracing the Dark: A UI Trend Explained

In recent years, dark mode has become more than just a design trend; it's a preferred choice for many users around the world. From web browsers and mobile apps to operating systems and productivity tools, dark mode has gained significant popularity. But what is it about this sleek, shadowy interface that makes it so appealing? Let’s dive into the reasons behind its widespread adoption.

Why People Love Dark Mode?

1. Reduced Eye Strain

Dark mode can be easier on the eyes, especially in low-light environments. The lower brightness and reduced glare may help minimize visual fatigue during extended screen time.

2. Improved Focus

The high contrast between text and background in dark mode can help content stand out, allowing users to focus more easily on what matters. Many find the darker interface less distracting and more immersive.

3. Better Battery Life

On devices with OLED or AMOLED screens, dark mode can help conserve battery power. That’s because pixels displaying black or darker colors use less energy than bright ones.

4. Less Blue Light

While the science is still evolving, some believe that using dark mode in the evening reduces blue light exposure, potentially helping with better sleep by avoiding disruption to your circadian rhythm.

5. Comfort for Long Use

For many, dark mode simply feels more comfortable. The softer background reduces visual clutter and can create a more relaxed, focused environment — especially during long periods of screen use.

How to Turn on Dark Mode

Activating dark mode is usually just a few taps away:

• On Android: Go to Settings → Display → Dark theme

• On iOS: Head to Settings → Display & Brightness → Select Dark

• In Apps: Many apps like YouTube, Chrome, and Instagram have their own dark mode options within their settings menus.

Adjusting to Something New: Updates on the VoIP and Phones Transition

By Sarah Schnittker (For August 2025)

Over the Summer, my family brought home a new kitten. At almost twelve weeks old, the black spotted thing needed two trips to the vet, a week’s worth of special tuna gravy medicated with antibiotics, and has generally thrown the peaceful, lazy life of my other cats out the metaphoric window. At the time of writing this, they’re still very much in the meeting stages and learning to tolerate one another: where my tabby loves to pretend she has an only-child life, the new kitten desperately wants to be included in all the playtime fun.

It goes to say: change has challenges!

Another item, that happened over the Summer, is the IIS team has been working tirelessly to bring to you the new and improved VoIP technology. “VoIP” stands for a “Voice over Internet Protocol,” aka the infrastructure in place to manage phone calls, voicemail, and call ques through not only your desk phone, but you’re your other devices as well. Throughout July, new phones have been distributed to office spaces and classrooms, and the configuration to VoIP is thoroughly underway.

Some new items to be aware of:

1. Prerecorded training to use the new system is currently available. It would be beneficial to become familiar with the ins and outs of the new call systems. Current available resources can be found here:

a. Zoom Phone Voice Mail Setup,

b. Call Handling Settings (including working hours, voicemail, etc.),

c. Zoom Phone for Desktop and Mobile (minus the SMS features),

d. In Call Options, like transferring, 3-way, converting to meeting, etc.

e. Other FAQs, troubleshooting tips, and where to get help when needed!

2. Additional training may become available over the Fall, meaning more hands-on and live sessions to get familiar with the platform.

3. Some of the physical phones haven’t been configured yet: in some cases, the phones have been assigned spaces but are not yet connected to the VoIP network. If you find a phone like this, please rest assured that the original phone in that space should still be functioning and you can make calls around campus. Further efforts on the transition are being made by the technology teams.

4. Your Zoom Phone, our VoIP carrier, should be connected to your existing District account. Staff and Faculty have been assigned extensions in alignment with their building, department, or existing numbers where applicable. You should have received an email from Zoom when the assignment became active—please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding this process.

The IIS Team thanks you for your patience and flexibility. Just like getting a new kitten, this change is not expected to be free of any hiccups. Be on the lookout for additional updates and emails regarding any new information.

Image of a spotlight in a dark room.

Employee Spotlight: Phillip Trujillo

Phillip Trujillo, a Web Programmer/Analyst in Enterprise Applications, has been an esteemed member of the College of the Canyons community for nearly 25 years. His journey at COC began as an Adult Hourly employee before transitioning into his current role. Before that, he worked at Antelope Valley College as a tutor and Banner programmer. He has been a valuable part of the IT team, always ready to support coworkers and other employees at the College. His involvement in various committees has helped him develop strong leadership skills, further strengthening his role at the College. He enjoys working in IT here at COC, as he knows that technology touches every department on campus and he gets satisfaction knowing that he is making people’s jobs easier. He feels that COC is a special place to work because everyone has a common goal - to see students succeed.

Outside of work, he likes experimenting with 3D printing and participating in Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), an organization dedicated to historical medieval recreations. He and his wife, Yvonne, have been married for six years and live on a hobby farm, tending to their chickens and goats. He enjoys Legos and even had an impressive Lego diorama at their wedding. When asked to describe himself, he says that he is both jovial and sarcastic – and I think that his colleagues would agree! Another talent that people may not know about him is that he can rebuild car engines. His current project car is a ’67 Cougar. Currently when he has down time, Phillip enjoys reading the series Dungeon Crawler Carl, watching Firefly on TV and viewing Star Wars, particularly the classic films.

Over the years, Phillip has been responsible for many critical projects at COC. The one accomplishment he is most proud of is his presentation at eLive, Ellucian’s annual conference for software, like Colleague. He shared information about different tools he uses for programming and strategies for improving WebAdvisor performance. This helped other schools, and one college reached out to share how Phillip’s insights directly improved their students’ experience and was written up in the newspaper.

After almost 25 years at College of the Canyons, he continues to enjoy working here and loves the challenges that come with the job. With Phillip’s dedication and expertise, he is a vital member of the Enterprise Applications team and the College. We give thanks to Phillip for all his contributions at COC!

Image of two people.

Important Update: Zoom Video Recording Retention Policy Changes

by Mat Camara

The CCC Tech Center has announced a new systemwide Zoom cloud recording retention policy set to take effect in October 2025. As part of this policy, all Zoom recordings created between 2017 and July 31, 2024, will be permanently deleted. Each subsequent year, older recordings will continue to be removed based on a defined retention schedule.

To help you prepare, we’ve included a timeline outlining the annual deletion schedule, along with step-by-step instructions on how to download your recordings and save them to Microsoft OneDrive. You’ll also find guidance on how to securely share your saved videos.

Schedule:

Oct 2, 2025: Recordings from 2017 through July 31, 2024, will be removed.
Jul 1, 2026: Recordings from August 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, will be removed.
Jul 1, 2027: Recordings from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, will be removed.
Jul 1, 2028: Recordings from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, will be removed.
(and so on)