With the explosion of worldwide networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare in recent years, instant electronic connection has become the standard for modern information exchange. In response to this demand, the expansion of mainstream electronic networking has become a top priority for USD student development.
"Here at the Student Leadership and Involvement Center [SLIC] we encourage all new students to register and create profiles on Collegiatelink. The network allows student organizations to communicate with their members, and it fosters greater community involvement," said Liberty Hebron, Coordinator for the SLIC.
Collegiatelink was introduced in fall 2009, and it conveniently allows students to access information on all of USD's student clubs and organizations.
To register, go to sandiego.collegiatelink.net and enter your MySanDiego username and password. Once logged in, you can add organizations to your profile and view message boards, polls, event info, voting and more.
"Collegiate link was incredibly simple to use. Elections for the Transfer Student Organization [TSO] were held through the website last year and it made voting considerably easier," said junior and transfer student Amy Ubovich.
Another prime example is USD's academic catch-all network for students and professors, MySanDiego. The electronic portal provides resource links to almost all campus needs, including e-mail, class scheduling, financial aid, campus events and much more. MySanDiego also has a mobile application called MySDMobile that can be accessed on most web-enabled mobile devices. The app allows students to navigate their way around campus, find contact information for professors and even keep tabs on USD sports. Information on how to download the app can be found at my.sandiego.edu/ mobile.
"Last year, there was a promotion for the basketball team online where the first 100 students to arrive received basketball jerseys. All of my friends and I went to the game early, got the jerseys and had a great time," said senior Kevin Diefendorf.
This year, a brand new addition to MySanDiego is direct access to textbook buying from the course registration listing under the ‘One Stop Services' tab. By clicking on the link for ‘Textbook Information,' students can now view and pre-order all required texts for the fall semester.
Even campus administrators themselves are actively participating in the electronic network craze.
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Mary Boyd, has a Twitter account on which she updates the student body and faculty on deadlines, upcoming events and her personal thoughts and experiences.
"Elvis died 33 years ago today. My weirdest sighting was at Chicago's Diner Grill at ~2 AM. What's your Elvis story?" Boyd tweeted on Aug. 16.
"Another great ranking! USD in Top 100 list of Greenest Schools, says Sierra Magazine http://cot.ag/cs6XYE," her Aug. 18 tweet read, regarding a top 100 national universities ranking from U.S. News and World Report on Aug. 17.
USD's mascot Diego Torero also has a Twitter account, at which students can find updates on all kinds of campus news. For sports fanatics, USD athletics has a Twitter page with info about games, stats and exclusive offers. You can follow the updates for Diego and athletics at @DiegoTorero and @USDToreros.
Many campus individuals are grateful for USD's increasing technological involvement, as it makes busy collegiate life a little easier. Senior Cameron Parsons noted, "This will be my senior year and every year the website gets easier to navigate. USD has really stepped it up."
is a member of the 
