Two online services launched Winter Quarter by Associated Student Government have been met with mixed reviews.
David Harris, services vice president, said about 200 students are registered on Cab Corner, which coordinates shared rides to and from the airport. He said he had hoped for more registrations with students traveling to and from campus for Spring Break. ASG doesn’t know yet how many students have used textbook-sharing service Bookswap despite a promotional push on Facebook.
Weinberg freshman Quentin Heilbroner said he had trouble using Cab Corner to arrange a ride with other students back to campus after Spring Break.
“It has trouble remembering your username, there’s no real way to communicate with anyone beyond that individual address, there was no real way to tell who they were,” Heilbroner said.
Heilbroner said he also feels there’s no way to hold accountable the students with whom he had arranged to share a cab.
“It’s partially the fault of the people that use it,” Heilbroner said.
Bookswap is a returning service that ASG offered two years ago, Harris said.
“The old site was less than stellar,” Harris said, adding that he believed Bookswap was, in theory, the most efficient way to find fellow students’ textbooks.
Some students reacted positively to the idea of using Bookswap, but many have not yet heard of it.
Weinberg freshman Mihir Kumar is one of those students. He said “if more people caught on,” he would be open to using the website.
“I guess it’s a good idea,” he said. “If I have the option, and it’s cheaper, I’d use it. Otherwise, I’d just be more comfortable buying from Norris.”
Communication freshman Jordyn Iger said she believes Bookswap “makes sense,” but is inefficient without enough users.
“I couldn’t find the books I needed,” she said.
However, she called the services “well-intentioned.”
“It’s a good thing to put everything in one place and reduce the clutter of Facebook notifications,” she said. “But the problem is when not enough people are using the services, one person who is not using Bookswap probably has the books everyone needs.”
ASG Services is currently working on more online services, including an unofficial study abroad guide for students to share experiences and advice on local living and an unofficial student guide where students can ask and answer questions about off-campus housing locations, finances, courses and professors.
Harris said these new services will be launched by the end of the quarter.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed David Harris’ position. He is services vice president. The Daily regrets the error.
