Several colleges across the U.S. switched their current cell phone plans to new deals that will provide students with campus-related information on their phones, according to the Chronicle for Higher Education.
Blackboard announcements, cancelled classes and location changes for campus events will now be available to students immediately via their cell phones.
At Montclair State University in New Jersey, students must purchase new cell phones in order to be a part of the program because the phones require Internet access and Global Positioning System technology.
Students who do not wish to buy a new phone are given different options on different plans. This year's service was free, but the university plans to begin charging next year, according to the Chronicle.
AU has considered starting such a program, Melissa Ramsepaul, a representative for AU's Technology Office.
"AU was one of the first campuses to go completely wireless - we are always on the frontline of technological advances," Ramsepaul said. "Maybe 100 vendors a year come to us and show us the latest developments ... We are very aware of what other colleges are doing."
The Rave, a start-up company, is responsible for the new service that is paired with Sprint Nextel's cellular service. Other cellular companies, such as Verizon, are in talks with Rave to provide its program on their own cellular service, according to the Chronicle.
Other possible applications of the Rave program are weather forecasts, shuttle bus information, movie times at local theatres and a program called Guardian Angel currently being developed by Rave. This program would allow a nervous student to alert campus police that they are walking at night alone and, after allowing enough time for the student to have reached their destination, campus police would send a beep to the student's phone. If the student does not turn off the beep after the second time, the police would find the student using the cell phone's GPS.
Alex Bruce, a sophomore in SIS, said he was not enthusiastic about such a program being offered here.
"I would just as soon keep my cell phone plan rather than being constantly bombarded with updates about events of the school, even if it was free" he said.
It is no hassle to dial the extension to check if classes are cancelled or to check Blackboard for announcements, Bruce added.
"If you ask me, this generation's already obsessed with making things easier than they have to be," he said. "...this one is just a frivolous change that universities use as a bragging point: 'look how updated we are."
