As mentioned above, Slack is your primary communication source with other Student Consultants. Slack allows you to have instant communication with all of the Student Consultants who are currently on duty or just happen to check Slack, as well as with the Student Managers. Slack allows us to have more direct communication with each other and reduces the amount we rely on emails. It is still important to use consmgr@ucsc.edu when there is an administrative problem (i.e. missing shifts or being late for a shift), but you can feel free to ask Lab/Library support questions, post openshifts and more in their corresponding Slack channels.

For those who have used Discord before, Slack will feel very similar. Slack is a Workspace (akin to a Discord server) full of text channels used for communicating in different circumstances. However, unlike many discord servers, our Slack Workspace does not have a “general” channel which allows us to categorize inter-Consultant communications. 

Our Slack workspace consists of many channels all used for specific discussion. Every channel name consists of a prefix which categorizes the channel:

Categories

Prefix	Meaning
ops	Operations
rept	Reporting
scd	Scheduling

After the prefix is a more specified descriptor such as timesheets, openshifts, support_request, etc. These channels are created to help the Student Consultants and Managers filter through messages and provide more adequate responses. Not all Slack channels follow these rules, but most do, any others should be self explanatory.

Channels

Here’s a brief explanation of the main Slack channels.

Channnel Name	Purpose
# announcements	Important announcements and information provided here. Make sure to check this channel frequently.
# links-resources	Some helpful resource locations like LTweb and training material.
# rept-lost_item	Find a valuable lost item? Please log it here, and add it to the consultant cabinet.
# scd-openshifts	Not going to be able to make a shift? Need to pickup some extra shifts? Here, you can request and fill openshifts. Those that post a request will also need to send an email to consmgr and make their spot available on Humanity. Posting: You must post your request at minimum 24 hours before your shift, whenever possible. Picking up: Please pick-up shifts at least an hour before the shift you want to fill for, and make sure you will not go over 20 hours in a week. If you would have a shift back-to-back, you must get permission from the managers first.
# trbl-support_request	Not sure how to solve a tech problem, don’t know the answer to a customer question, or unsure if you should file a tech ticket? Please feel free to ask questions to your fellow consultants and managers here.