MU iPhone app debuts

The app has been downloaded more than 1,000 times.

By Caitlin Kerfin

Published Aug. 24, 2010

The new MU iPhone application was expected to be released Monday but made its debut early on Aug. 20. This free app contains a campus map, news, dining hall menus, directory and event calendar.

The goMizzou app was originally to be released earlier, Missouri Students Association President Tim Noce said.

"We wanted to give ourselves some cushion time," Noce said. "We wanted the official release day to be the first day of school, just in case something were to go wrong."

The new iPhone app has more than 1,000 downloads with a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.

"Everyone has a voice," Noce said. "Feedback goes right to MSA, as well as the IT department. Promoting that aspect will help students take hold in this application."

Noce said, as of yesterday, there were 20 e-mails with substantial feedback on ways to improve the app. Feedback can be publicly viewed on the iTunes website.

The directory feature searches people on campus such as students and faculty. It lists a student's year, major and e-mail address. The first and last name of a student or faculty member is all that is needed to search, and the e-mail can be added straight to the contacts list.

The campus map is completely interactive, picking up on the current location and giving step-by-step directions to the destination.

"I saw some people, who I thought to be freshmen, using their iPhones and saw that they were using the app," Noce said. "It looks a lot better than pulling out a map."

The news section features top headlines on campus. A list of events and a list of menus from each dining hall are also available on the app.

"A lot of the info is really helpful, but it loads pretty slow right now and when you click on the dining halls it would be helpful to show the address of each hall," freshman Mandy Sohaney said.

She said she received the information via e-mail.

"It's a good idea and a good start but there is definitely room for improvement," freshman Rachel Karcz said.

Freshman Cole Kennedy said he did not know about the MU iPhone app and thought it could have been more heavily promoted.

"They did a bad job of letting people know," Kennedy said.

Overall, with the dining hall menus, campus map and directory, news feed and event calendar, the app aims to keep students better connected to one another and the school as a whole.

"There is now an app for everything," freshman Sarah Trapp said.