• Scheduling meetings can be a tough job. It usually means that someone has to send multiple emails around to find a convenient time or to try to physically find people to set up a meeting time. Sometimes that results in multiple visits to the same people as a time is negotiated. If everyone used the system, the person trying to set up the meeting would be warned immediately if someone is "busy" at that time. They don't see why you are busy, only that you are busy. Avoiding known "busy" times makes setting up meetings much easier.
  
  
• Reduced and more accurate data entry. Right now, the VPAA's office compiles a listing of academic dates and sends them in paper or electronic form to everyone. Each person receiving the information must then transcribe the information into his or her calendars. Updates to those dates are made in a similar fashion. Consider for a moment a single Campus Pipeline calendar campus wide that can be updated by that office. If you used the calendaring system, you could add that calendar to a group of calendars that you use. Other calendars may include committee activities and meetings or departmental calendars. Someone else has the responsibility of keeping those specialized calendars up-to-date. Event information is entered once and accessed by all.
  
  
• Various groups around campus have been asking for calendaring systems that could be shared. This calendaring system may fill that need. So, while ASU is not mandating use of the Campus Pipeline calendar, groups you belong to may begin to use it to communicate information.

We ask that you, at least, familiarize yourself with the system and not reject it merely on the basis of a reluctance to change your current methods. Remember that any new system, even systems that are better than what you are currently using, will feel awkward at first. Give yourself adequate time for adjustment and then decide how you feel about it.

If you decide that the Campus Pipeline calendaring system does not meet your needs, please let us know what needs are not being met so that we can consider them with future upgrades and system considerations.

If you have a question or topic that you would like to see added, please contact the Webmaster.

Last Updated: April 8, 2002
posted by mja