The ITS Insider is the Help Desk newsletter which includes timely topics and events. This month’s newsletter covers articles on Upgrading to macOS Tahoe and Windows 11, the new ITS Lunch & Learn series, Diving into the Phish Bowl, Preparing for Print Release, and open student positions open at the Help Desk.

Should I upgrade to macOS Tahoe?

Apple released a new operating system and a new numbering system for their updates. At this time, macOS Tahoe (version 26) is not approved for use on College computers. The new operating system is being tested with campus systems and software, and will be approved for support within the coming months.

The current recommended version of macOS is 15.7 Sequoia. If your campus computer is not already running Sequoia, you can download it through the steps outlined in our macOS Upgrade guide or contact us through the ITS support portal.

If you upgrade to macOS Tahoe, prepare to reinstall your printer. Endusers report printers disappear after upgrading.

End of an era: Windows 10 now end of life

As of October 14th Windows 10 is End of Life. This means that Microsoft will no longer be releasing any updates or patches for the operating system which makes it a security risk to our environment. Over the summer, ITS pushed out Windows 11 upgrades to computers across campus. If your computer did not upgrade to Windows 11, try upgrading it through Windows Update. For more details, go to Upgrading to Windows 11.

Some computers lose their mapped printers after upgrading to Windows 11. If your printer disappears, follow the directions in the linked article Re-adding Printer After Windows 11 Upgrade.

If you are not able to upgrade your computer to Windows 11, please open a Helpdesk ticket through the ITS support portal.

Dive into the Phish Bowl

Phishing and email scams are ever-present and only getting more sophisticated. It is important to always be vigilant. To help with that, Swarthmore ITS has documents of recent spam and email scams that have targeted our community. To see examples of phishing attempts that have targeted our employees, visit  the “Phish Bowl” (login required). We also have examples of job scams that target our students – you can check out the Student Employment Scam Repository (login required).

To find more information on phishing and scams, including how to identify them and what to do with them when you receive them, please check out our Phishing page on our Knowledge Base (KB) . 

Prepare for Print Release

Earlier this year ITS started deploying Print Release to Canon printers in Academic departments. In November, the remaining college departments will be getting print release. ITS implemented OneCard print release as part of the College’s ongoing commitment to sustainability,.

When you send a print job to a printer with a print release station, you swipe your Swarthmore OneCard, use your digital OneCard, or manually enter your Swarthmore credentials at the printer to release your document(s). Additionally, you can change from color to greyscale, or from single-sided to two-sided at the release station.

The release step also adds privacy and security to print jobs, and helps reduce resource waste by reducing the number of unclaimed documents and unwanted color print jobs. For more information, go to Print Release FAQ .

Are you Swarthmore’s Next Top ITSA?

Think you have what it takes to be the Next Top ITSA with Swarthmore’s Help Desk team? Apply to be an IT Apprentice for Spring 2026. Applications will open mid-November for the Spring semester. An IT Apprentice is an entry level position with the Swarthmore College Help Desk, and we invite all majors to apply! While ITS provides training in troubleshooting skills, future IT Apprentices need to be familiar with Windows and Mac, and Swarthmore College.

Where can students apply? Visit JobX and search IT Apprentice

ITS Lunch & Learn Series

Grab your lunch and join ITS for the following mini training sessions via Zoom. The sessions are open to all Swarthmore faculty and staff, and will start at 12pm on the following dates. Each session will have 20-30 minutes of training followed by Q&A. 
To register, click on the session link(s) that you are interested in attending.

1. Oct 29th – Zoom Phone: Managing voicemail, business hours, and days out
2. Nov 7th – Help Desk and You: Intro to the ITS Service Portal
3. Nov 20th – Mac Computing: Tips to speed up your computer
4. Dec 5th – Windows Computing: Tips to speed up your computer 

We plan to have more sessions in the Spring, and will be collecting feedback to determine future topics.

Can you solve these Help Desk Riddles?

1. I’m small, smart, and live in your pocket, helping you connect with the world.
2. I have keys but no locks, I’m used for typing, but I’m not a door.
3. Why did the IT Department hire a spider?

Contact

At the Help Desk we are here to help, empower, and innovate. For assistance create a ticket through the IT Support Portal at support.swarthmore.edu or give us a call at 610-328-8153