College of the Desert restores phone services, website after July 4 network disruption
College of the Desert's phone systems and website are back up after two week interruption caused by a network disruption.
The college's online services, including email, phone, and internet access were down on July 4. COD officials told News Channel 3's Jennifer Franco that a federal investigation is underway after administrators contacted the FBI.
There was no update on the status of the investigation.
Most of the school's network was restored on July 14, but the phone systems and website remained down. Officials said the school's internal team and IT team were working to restore services according to a tiered service recovery plan. The plan prioritized minimizing the impact of the network disruption on students.
School officials anticipate that Self-Service will back up by the end of this week.
"Once Self Service is restored, students will have the ability to register for classes, drop classes, access records, and more from their own devices," writes COD officials.
Students with urgent needs, such as registering for the last summer course, can get assistance with registration by working with a staff member. Non-urgent issues can be handled through Self-Service once it has been restored.
Students interested in registering for the last open summer course, which begins Monday, July 25, can do so with the help of staff, either in person or online. For virtual assistance, students can use established Zoom drop-in hours, phone numbers or visit in-person at the Palm Desert Campus:
● Counseling Office Zoom Drop-In, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Join Zoom Meeting: https://collegeofthedesert-edu.zoom.us/j/95317904681 Meeting ID: 953 1790 4681
Phone: 760-773-2521
● Admission & Records Office, Monday – Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Phone: 760-773-2516
● Financial Aid Office, Monday – Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Phone: 760-773-2532
● Welcome Center, Monday – Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Phone: 760-346-8041
Despite network interruptions, summer courses have been able to meet as scheduled.
The temporary website that the school set up to inform students will now redirect to the College’s main website.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.
