Southern Adventist University has recently started a new site called the eJoker, created to be an online directory to connect Southern students with each other. The Student Association (SA) announced the site during the keynote on Jan. 25, and it was accessible by students on Jan. 26.
According to SA Social Vice President Jake Strauss, “The eJoker is an upgrade over the current people finder that everyone has on their MyAccess. This was created by the students for the students.” Student workers Adams Bala, Brittany Hoffman and Jared Powrie worked during the summer designing the eJoker and are currently still adding features.
On the eJoker, you can customize your profile to include things like pet peeves, favorite foods, relationship status and career goals. You can also link it to your social media accounts, such as Facebook and Instagram, so students who visit your eJoker account can add you on social media as well. Although your account is customizable, Kari Schultz, Director of Student Life and Development, must approve any changes you make to your picture or biography before it is viewable by other students. This is done to make sure no one’s profile contains nudity, profanity or any other subject matter that does not reflect Southern’s standards.
Like on any social media platform, privacy must be addressed. According to Strauss, “In order to get on the eJoker, you have to log in as a student before you can view any of the profiles.” This precaution helps students like Regine Owens, freshman nursing major, feel more comfortable.
“At least no outsiders will see what my favorite movie is,” Owens said.
Although the eJoker is new to the web, it is not a completely new concept. The “e” in eJoker means electronic, but before it became the eJoker, it was just the Joker. Students who were at Southern four or more years ago may remember the Joker as a booklet that contained the pictures, email addresses and majors of people who attended the school and was released every fall semester.
According to Joshuwa Shelton, junior religious studies major, “If you saw someone around campus, you could just flip through the pages and find them.”
With the new eJoker system, everyone on campus seems to be just a click away.