Ernie Stufflebean, associate dean of students and director of residence life, is leading an effort to improve quality of life elements as part of the student experience. This academic year, William Jewell College will see the introduction of both SpectrumU Live Streaming for enhanced TV viewing and all-new smart laundry machines in all residence halls – which will be paired with an app called Speed Queen which is designed to track usage and availability of said machines.
The Spectrum Enterprise SpectrumU TV webpage explains that the university-based service “enables colleges and universities to meet this expectation and provide more on-campus value by enabling students to watch TV anytime and anywhere.” Over 200 channels of shows, movies and games are available to watch from near any modern smart device or streaming device, anywhere on campus. Channel availability may waver if off campus while the program is in the early stages. However, this will change in the near future.
“We will be working on new technology to expand SpectrumU services off-campus starting late this fall or early this spring (it’s currently only available on-campus). This will allow students to use the service from home and student athletes can view TV and movies while on the road at away games,” Stufflebean said.
The service promises a smooth and efficient experience, as Spectrum states on their website.
“[Rely] on our exceptional content delivery network to help students stay informed and entertained. Because SpectrumU is IP-delivered, it requires no on-campus equipment to purchase, power or maintain. That saves you time, money and effort while creating the reliability students expect,” the website states.
The introduction of the Speed Queen app, coupled with the new laundry machines across campus, looks to ease a common student complaint around campus. The app is compatible with college-provided iPads, along with other devices.
“We know students have very busy schedules. This new service will be a time-saver. We hope it will also reduce students forgetting their laundry and occupying machines,” Stufflebean said.
In addition to being notified of when your clothes are ready to be taken out of the washer or dryer or when machines are available, the app is also capable of detecting when machines need maintenance. Stufflebean promises that a technician will respond to said alert within 24 hours.
“The new service provider will also service machines every two weeks. Well maintained machines with less down time will reduce student inconvenience and frustration,” said Stufflebean.
Stufflebean emphasized he isn’t done improving the daily lives of students, stating that faculty, staff and administration will continue to listen to students.
“Student input and feedback is an important part of our work in improving student life on The Hill. We are committed to affecting change where we can to provide students with an outstanding co-curricular and residential experience,” concluded Stufflebean.
Congratulations Brent. Thanks for sharing. Cheers. Jessica.