Posted by Lexi Rivetti, UCB Student Intern, UCOP. Did you know there used to be a trailer park on UC Irvine’s campus? “The rent was really cheap. The park had a very cool, tight-knit community and people even had their own little gardens,” says Markus Quon, Associate Director of Housing IT at UCI. With over 14 years of experience at Irvine, Quon can tell stories and share trivia for hours.
Along with his team, Quon helps manage IT applications and systems used by the six UCI on-campus managed properties and the housing administrative services office. His team designed and implemented a comprehensive student housing occupancy and billing system called OSCAR, which stands for Online Student Communities Assignments and Receivables. OSCAR processes over $82M per year in transactions and manages all aspects of application, contracting/leasing, billing, collections, bedspace management and general ledger. Currently, Quon is working to improve the apartment leasing experience for UCI’s graduate students, many of whom need to apply for housing whilst abroad or out-of-state.
Quon’s favorite part of his job, and his most challenging, is the constant drive for improving processes and implementing change. Though sometimes process improvement and automation of work flow isn’t initially received in a positive light, Quon believes the hardship of change is worth it. He explains, “If we can do one thing to eliminate some burden on our business users so that they can bring excellence to other areas, then I think it’s a win for IT.”
When not busy helping others or mentoring student workers, Quon likes to take a stroll around UC Irvine’s renowned Aldrich Park, admiring his long-time home after making sure UCI students have a home as well.