Text messaging is finally good for something besides avoiding conversation. At least, at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale it will be when its technology service unveils their innovative program DawgTel next fall.

SIU’s TeleComm service (the equivalent to NIUTEL), students and faculty are working together to create a program that will allow professors to communicate with students about various class-related material via cell phone text messaging.

If a professor cancels class 30 minutes before it starts, students probably won’t be checking their e-mail right before it, said Megan Tarrolly, a graduate assistant in marketing. This provides an efficient alternative that will be convenient for the entire university, she added.

NIU evaluated a similar program to the one being adopted by SIU but decided against it, said Elizabeth Leake, Information Technology Services’ associate director.

“We found that money used to support the system comes from the sale of ads to local businesses,” Leake said. “NIUTEL chose not to pursue the program because we don’t wish to bombard our students with commercial messages.”

DawgTel will allow students to post their phone numbers on a secure, university controlled Web site, specific to their classes. Professors will be able to access their class lists and send out mass text messages about scheduling, syllabus changes or grades.

“The goal is to make the product good for professors,” said Gordon Bruener, an SIU marketing professor.

The project will be funded by selling the right to send text message advertising to students who allow it.

“Advertising will be specific to every individual,” Bruener said. “You will not hear messages from people you don’t want to hear from. If I want to hear from Pizza Hut but not Burger King, I can make that distinction,” he said.

DawgTel is a result of the collaboration of SIU’s College of Business and TeleComm. The university is tapping into its resources by having marketing classes conduct projects in an effort to help promote and research various aspects of the program.

“This prevents SIU from having to hire a consultant company to do this work,” Bruener said. “We believe that this is part of the role of the university. We could call a consultant company, but this allows for constant feedback.”

NIU’s next shot at technological development will be the application of a new E-Directory system currently being created by ITS, Leake said.

“We will see how [SIU’s] works out in a year or two,” Leake said. “You will want to watch for news about some innovative communication tools that are being developed at NIU.”