Reboot, recharge, collaborate at UIC’s new C-stop

Students collaborate on a project at C-stop, the new study space in Student Center West. Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin/UIC Photo Services

Looking for a comfortable, high-tech place to work on papers or projects? Try C-stop.

The modern study space on the first floor of Student Center West provides a place where students can use computers, seek technical assistance, print documents and charge their phones.

The workspace, which opened Jan. 13, features a lounge-like atmosphere with designated zones for collaborated and independent work, help from on-location consultants and lockers.

“Charging is an issue, so we have an entire wall of lockers with plugs inside,” said Cynthia Herrera Lindstrom, chief information officer for UIC and executive director of the Academic Computing and Communications Center.

“You can plug in your device, put on a lock, then go have something to eat, come back later to get it.”

C-stop is the result of a survey of students about their computing needs, generated by UIC’s Innovation Center and commissioned by the IT Governance Council’s Education Committee. Based on survey results, the computing center asked the Innovation Center “to come up with ideas on how the problems could be addressed,” Lindstrom said.

“One of the things that was pretty clear is that the traditional computer labs were not working,”
she said.

Alvin Taylor Jr. offers on-site technical support. Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin/UIC Photo Services

First-year medical student Abdisamad Ibrahim said he likes the convenience of having consultants on hand for technical help, as well as the student collaboration space.

“If you’re working with someone else, you can project your stuff on the monitor,” Ibrahim said.

The C-stop work environment will expand to the east side of campus later this year.

“The next one is coming to BSB this year,” Lindstrom said.