SGA votes on prospective web program

The Technology Improvement Committee is working to bring a new student resource platform to complement the aperture of UCA’s upcoming homepage and to revamp the current “MyUCA” site.
Michael Murphy, Senator-at-Large from the Student Government Association, is the chair of the Technology Improvement Committee and said this project has been in consideration for three years.
“They are online programs so that students can form clubs, create events, they can recruit, they can advertise events, basically anything they do on paper they would be able to do online,” Murphy said.
He said there is currently no site for students in different organizations to interact and keep their files electronically archived.
SGA unanimously voted for OrgSync as the better platform, as opposed to CollegiateLink, although the resolution is still in the process of being drafted.
OrgSync’s website, www.orgsync.com, states that it “facilitates engagement by connecting students to organizations, departments and programs. Its platform creates an online community for the campus and helps units across the institution to improve communication, information sharing, collaboration and reporting with an online tool students want to use.”
Murphy said some things to consider when choosing the new platform are: the features the companies offer, looking at the companies themselves and the cost.
“OrgSync has a much cleaner-looking product. It is student-friendly and would help more organizations manage and market themselves better,” Murphy said.
Murphy also said OrgSync has grown over the years because it updates its features.
He has keep in contact with other schools who used CollegiateLink and said that although it was a cheaper product, students wouldn’t use it and that it had a corporate entity geared towards administrators rather than students. He said OrgSync would bring in personnel to train people on how to use the site and its features.
“Costs are up in the air,” Murphy said. OrgSync costs about $50,000 for three years. Collegiate Link’s cost is based on enrollment and the estimated price is $30,000 for three years.
“Student Government is going to try not to use student money. This is something that should be paid for by departments, especially departments who use it,” Murphy said.
In other business, SGA allocated $149,608.74 to 72 Registered Student Organizations through Student Activity Fee Allocation.