SGA plans to launch mobile app

The Mercer Student Government Association (SGA) is launching a new SGA mobile application, or app, in hopes of bringing all Mercer information within students’ fingertips.
SGA President Mollie Davis said the app would be “A one-stop shop for all Mercer information,” which gives students’ access to Blackboard, a student and faculty directory, a campus map, information about food services on campus, weather alerts, news, and social media.
“Something cool about the app is that it’s custom. Whatever we want to be on the app will be on the app,” said Davis.
Similar to Facebook notifications, students can set up the app to notify them of events occurring on campus “but hopefully in a less annoying manner [than Facebook],” said Davis.
Before moving forward on the app, the SGA wants to hear feedback. “Basically anything that a student could want, at some point we are going to ask for feedback, can be integrated on the app,” said SGA vice president Joshua Lovett.
The project started on Jan. 30 when Dean Pierson attended a SGA Senate meeting and asked students if they would be interested in testing a Mercer app.
Sophomore Class President Melina Hettiaratchi was one of the three people who volunteered to be placed on a team to test the app and give feedback.
Over a phone conference, app creator and CEO of Dub Labs, Tim Dugan, gave the SGA team a virtual tour of the app from his office in Washington D.C., where he showed them how certain features worked.
Impressed by the app’s efficiency, the SGA group presented it to the SGA committee who endorsed the project.
The app’s finances include, “the one time integration fee and a yearly upkeep,” said Hettiaratchi.
Hettiarchi believes the app’s benefits outweigh its costs since the Dub Labs alleviating some of the pressure from Mercer’s I.T. department, “They [I.T.] doesn’t have the man power or the money do what the people in D.C. would be doing for us.”
At least six different Mercer programs would benefit from the app, which is why Hettiarachi believes that by dividing the cost the app will be more affordable, “If we had all those different programs weigh in… it’s actually not that expensive.”
With the influx of newcomers arriving on Mercer’s campus for the upcoming football season, the app will help become more of a necessity, “With tailgating coming you have all these community members, alumni and trustees coming, you need to have an accessible way for people to be on campus,” said Hettiaratchi
SGA now wants to hear the student body’s opinions. According to Hettiarachi “If they [students] have suggestions we would love to hear them. That’s the biggest thing- suggestions and feedback.”