A new web company promises to make receiving updates about classes through Blackboard, staying in touch with friends and even checking for empty washing machines easier for students at some universities.
Rave Wireless will soon pair with Sprint's network and its Global Positioning System-based services to offer a host of new cellular phone applications to colleges that will, according to the company's website, "improve communication, build community and enhance campus safety."
Though there are currently no plans to bring the technology to Dartmouth, basic services will include the ability to text message large student- or faculty-created groups, call staff directories via cell phone and check school e-mail directly through one's phone. Add-on services include course alerts and an in-class response system, a GPS-enabled personal safety application that calls campus security if the user does not reach his or her destination within a certain period of time and that has the ability to track public transportation with GPS-based shuttle bus tracking.
David Bucciero, Dartmouth's director of technical services, said he is enthusiastic about the potential uses of the technology, both in new avenues for campus communication and in lessening the number of electronic devices one deals with on a daily basis.
"I think it would add to campus life," Bucciero said. "One thing we are always looking for is a good communications tool. Also, I carry two cell phones, a pager and my notebook. This technology would be a consolidating measure."
Malcolm Brown, director of academic computing, would not rule out Rave Wireless for the campus, but would want to make sure students would find the technology useful before making plans to integrate Rave Wireless' systems at Dartmouth.
"You need to study what the market is," Brown said. "Sometimes you can put out a technology that would be great, but then nobody uses it. You have to check that there would be a demand for it."
Ryan Murphy '09 said he doubts that there would be a high demand for the services.
"I don't think it would be that useful to Dartmouth students because we already have a lot of those features within the College," Murphy said. "BlitzMail is a very efficient way for students and professors to communicate with each other. The safety timer is also useless, especially at Dartmouth where the campus and surrounding area is pretty safe."
The service is currently in use at 15 schools around the country, including Baruch College of the City University of New York, Georgetown University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with plans to expand to over 100 schools by next year.
