Searching for today's weather, upcoming Terrier hockey games? Want to order-in food from T. Anthony's or know the theme for Saturday night's party at Aria?
If you're looking for answers, the Boston University branch of DailyJolt.com, an online college resource where students will find an all-encompassing guide to university life both on and off campus.
Unlike many university-maintained sites, such as BU Student Central, the DailyJolt provides a student-run source of information that caters to each specific college community. By providing visitors with numerous links, such as the "news rack" and job listings, students can search for virtually anything related to student life.
In fall 1998, sophomores at Amherst College were inspired to create the site based on the fact that there were no centralized web resources conductive to student needs. Today, Chris Herron, an Amherst graduate who is the president of DailyJolt, helps maintain the sites for 96 colleges along with a full-time staff of six at their headquarters in Cambridge.
"This guy named Amit decided the official campus website was geared toward alumni, parents and prospective students," Herron said. "He was the leader who got this set up as a page for himself and his friends, and soon the links got passed around.
Originally called the Amherst Circuit, the online guide spread quickly through the campus. Six month later, after student suggestions, updates and improvements, it was extended to Brown University, where the name DailyJolt was born.
Many students at BU have never heard of the DailyJolt. At other schools, the college community relies on the website for many of its needs.
"It's harder to get the word out at larger campuses," said Herron. "But at Amherst, where everyone eats at the same dining hall, the students want to know what is on the menu for dinner so that they know if they should order in.
"At Penn state, however, students might use the site to buy and sell football tickets," he continued, stressing the importance of customizing the sites of each college.
Officially called a "jolter," College of Arts and Sciences freshman Allison Jerabeck is one of the many students who help create and update the college-specific sites on their own campuses.
"[DailyJolt] was one of the most popular sites when I was at Clarkson College," said Jerabeck, who is taking a semester off from school but maintains the BU DailyJolt site.
While the DailyJolt at BU offers links for Terrier athletics, student papers and shows, there is also ample coverage of professional Boston sports and national papers such as The Boston Globe and The New York Times. If you're feeling stressed out or depressed, there is even a link guiding you to seek counseling.
Herron and the other members of his staff bring their recent college experiences to the table when tweaking the site and adding new features. According to Herron, the DailyJolt will undergo design changes this summer.
The DailyJolt at BU is still under renovation, but Jerabeck hopes that it will gain popularity when the headquarters provides her with stickers that she can hand out and post around campus.
"On a busy day, there are only about 100 hits," Jerabeck said.
According to Herron, any student can bring the DailyJolt to his or her college by contacting the headquarters and learning how to construct, maintain and upgrade the site.
Students who have only recently checked out the website despite its three year presence at BU agree that it has potential to become a staple outlet of information.
While College of Communication junior K.C. Geen admits that the site needs additions and polishing, she "does see a great deal of possibility for it.
"It basically gives you the run down of everything you need to know in order to survive at BU," she said.
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