By Madeline Ragland, Contributing Writer
Hamilton, the Health Services therapeutic service dog, stops to visit with a group of UNH students on campus. Hamilton has toured the entire campus wearing GoPro cameras on his back to obtain footage of him walking to each location on campus where the IT department offers services.
On Tuesday morning, the IT department and the Health Services department collaborated in order to create a video advertising the services that both departments offer. This video campaign starred Hamilton, the Paws and Relax mascot for the Health Services department.
Hamilton is a therapeutic service dog that assists students during group sessions. The IT department successfully attached two GoPros to Hamilton’s back and chest in order to obtain footage of Hamilton walking around to all of the services that the IT department has to offer.
Katherine Derby, one of the directors of this shoot, said the purpose of this video is to “inform the student body about the services that both departments have to offer.” The IT department offers many opportunities for students to use various types of technology for both academic and personal life.
“We want this video to highlight the IT services,” Derby said.
In order to highlight these services, Hamilton traveled all across campus, visiting each IT location. First, Hamilton walked around the library to visit the Academic Technology Support Center. This center is located on the third floor of the Dimond Library and is helpful for students who are experiencing technological difficulties.
The Academic Technology Support Center (ATSC) allows students to bring in any technological device that isn’t working with students there to help fix the problem. Many students used this service during the first week of school in order to hook up the Wi-Fi to their phones and other devices.
After visiting the ATSC, Hamilton bounded down the library stairs to visit the Parker Media Lab, a place where students can use the GoPros and other equipment used in the video. According to the Parker Media Lab’s website, “The Parker Media Lab and Multimedia Center support the instruction and research needs of UNH’s faculty and students by providing facilities, collections and expertise for researching, viewing and producing a wide range of media.”
The lab has all the equipment needed in order for students to make multimedia presentations and experiment with using high-tech equipment.
After completing his tour in the library, Hamilton ventured over to the Memorial Union Building where he made frequent stops. He paused to eat grass, play with students and even chased a squirrel down a ditch.
The footage of the shoot will definitely reflect how life is as a dog. However rough or active Hamilton’s motions were the GoPro stayed intact on Hamilton’s harness.
Finishing off the IT tour, Hamilton visited the computer store located on the second floor of the MUB. Each stop that Hamilton made, IT workers and student employees welcomed him and gave treats after he completed a trick, like jumping up on the front desk. The computer store is now selling the GoPros and accessories to students; this stand can be seen in the front window.
The IT department waved goodbye to Hamilton once he completed the IT tour of their services. Derby also noted that the inclusion of Hamilton during this video process “helps raise awareness for the Paws and Relax Program.”
The Paws and Relax Program is a new addition to the Health Services department that provides a chance for students to spend time with Hamilton.
This service is intended to help students relax and decompress from all the stress. Derby noted that this service “will be great for midterms and finals.”
This IT promotional video will be available soon for students to view the services offered on campus or to gain a glimpse on the perspective of a dog’s life.
