By Sade Smith, News Editor

The What’s Up UMassD App, fully launched and loaded is a useful tool for all UMass Dartmouth students living on and off campus.

Available in the app store, it contains information and resources from shuttle service to dining services hours and locations.

The app is essentially a centralized, easy to access place for all things UMass Dartmouth, allowing users to connect with one another as well as the faculty and staff hosting events.

Powered by Involvio and initially introduced to incoming first year students in 2015, the app has been rebranded and has generated a significant volume of users. It is mostly used for groups and departments on campus to post upcoming events.

Similar to Facebook’s event tabs, it allows people to add events to their phone’s calendar as well as check in and join a discussion specific to that event.

During the January Transfer and New Student Orientation, students became familiarized with the app, getting help from Orientation Leaders on how to navigate through and sync their phone’s calendar to the calendar of events provided.

A valuable tool especially for the start of each semester is the “Buy and Sell” tab, where users can post items such as books and iClickers and receive responses from other users.

Connected to the UMassD Facebook page, users can navigate to their favorite pages such as “UMassD Commuters” and connect with the Commuter group on campus for updates on events and such.

In terms of personalizing the app’s settings specific to the users likes and interests, “What’s Up UMassD” allows the user to add any student organizations or groups to the app.

For example, residents living in the Aspen and Ivy Residence Halls can receive updates from their SRA or RD on floor meetings and RA coordinated activities. This also allows people who join these specific groups to chat amongst each other, with the First Year Students group having the most discussion posts in the last 24 hours.

Photo Courtesy: MyOrgs