The Student Association at Mississippi State kicked off the school year by offering students two new Web site services, msutexts.com and msuforum .com.
“These are two ideas we have been talking about for a long time, and this summer we just decided to stop talking and do it,” SA President Adam Telle said.
Msutexts.com is an online forum that allows students to buy and sell books directly with other students. Selling books can save students the mark-up fees that bookstores charge.
Students can search the Web site for a certain book by course number, but they must register with the site to buy or sell books. Although the posting system is similar to trading sites such as eBay, the site does not handle payments.
“Students can set up payment plans between each other,” Matt Hillman, SA Webmaster, said. “They arrange how they want to make the exchange.”
Telle said this eliminates the need for a middle man and saves students money.
Senior Vrunda Vagela says that she appreciates the SA working to bring services like the Web site to students but is not sure how convenient it will be.
“I would rather just go to the bookstore because that is what I am used to doing, but it might be more convenient for incoming freshmen who are not used to going straight to the bookstore,” she said.
Msuforum.com allows students to post ideas, feedback and general comments for others to read. The site also has a section for discussion, announcements and an administrative area, said Telle.
“We (the SA) wanted something people could use to talk about issues and post suggestions for the SA. We want students to voice their opinions,” he said.
The SA hopes that msuforum.com will be something that “every student knows about,” Telle added.
Another SA-sponsored Web site is msucalendar.com, which was developed last year. It features a campus-wide calendar that any group can post information on and every student can read. It features different categories such as food, athletics and entertainment.
“We are still working on this site, but it is there and we are hoping that it will be popular soon,” Telle said.