The Associated Students Inc. Senate tomorrow will consider whether to sign up for an Internet program that would seamlessly integrate student life.
The program OrgSync is in use by several other Cal State Universities, according to ASI President James Ahumada.
However, the program costs $20,000 for the first year and between $12,000 and $16,000 each year after, depending on the contract, Ahumada said.
The ASI Senate plans to discuss a resolution supporting OrgSync at its Wednesday meeting at 3:30 p.m. in University Student Union, room 234. Ahumada said he hopes the resolution passes by Nov. 17 because he has a promotional deal with the company that gives campus groups the chance to have OrgSync designers integrate their logo with a CSULB logo for free.
OrgSync provides student organizations, like clubs and Greek groups, with their own easy-to-manage websites, an integrated campus calendar and a co-curricular “e-portfolio” that allows students to showcase their out-of-class involvement to potential employers. Students can also search for new organizations that match their interests, update their Facebook status and share events at the click of a button, and it eases the process of applying for grants from ASI.
Ahumada gave three open presentations about the website over the past few weeks; he said they were embraced by other parts of ASI, but the senators remain wary. At a presentation last Thursday, three senators attended.
“They’re not the most confident in it,” Ahumada said. “I think senators would love it if they could just see it and have a chance to sit with me and play with [the site].”
Ahumada argued that for the cost, ASI may be able to employ one part-time employee, while the functions of OrgSync outweigh what several full-time web developers could accomplish.
“There’s a huge push for technology,” he said. “Our students are asking me about it and you can’t do it without spending money.”
The current ASI website is part of Cal State Long Beach’s official website. It is not organized or updated frequently because ASI has only one tech person, Ahumada said.
Although a couple dozen campus organizations can contact its members through BeachBoard, permission was restricted in 2004 due to security concerns. Another issue at play is ensuring the site complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act — OrgSync does.
Other CSUs that use OrgSync include Cal State Dominguez Hills, San Franscisco State, Cal State San Marcos, Sonoma State and Sacramento State.
“Student response, from what I have gathered, has been mixed,” Sacramento State’s ASI president Terry Martin said in an e-mail. “There is definitely a bit of a learning curve, but it’s a great tool for student clubs and organizations to manage things such as membership dues, club elections, committees, etc.”
Students and alumni of the University of Texas founded OrgSync in 2007. The company expects to have 150 campuses using its services by the end of 2010.
To view a video presentation of OrgSync’s functions, visit orgsync.com.
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