I attended Suffield Academy, a 4 year co-ed boarding school in Suffield, Connecticut. With only 400 students, the school stresses a sense of community through required athletics and family style lunch. They also require all students to have Apple laptops and they give students an email address through the First Class computer application. The app downloads onto all laptops and it provides students and faculty with direct access to each other at all times.

After coming to Loyola, I immediately found that the email client was and still is insufficient. There is no digital community connection through Blackboard, LORA or any other Loyola site. The use of First Class would benefit Loyola greatly and it can easily connect students and faculty with each other.

First Class need for LoyolaBy Shane Hennessey

- First Class is an elite mail server that has many of the same options that are seen in Blackboard and and Loymail.

- The application can be downloaded on PC’s and Mac’s and can also be accessed through the internet on a less sophisticated email server. - The desktop allows access to different folders, contacts, calendar’s and file storage.

- The program is interactive, easy to use and aesthetically pleasing.

-The directory option allows easy access to other students and faculty.

- Users can also create individual profiles, similar to what is seen on facebook.

-You can also see who is online at all times and you can invite users to chats.

- Alumni have lifetime use and they’re not listed among current students in the directory.

-Students can chat with each other and it provides an IM feature that eliminates the use of AIM and Facebook.

- The mailbox easily sorts emails and indicates new and old messages.

- You are also able to see if messages have been read by recipients

(They turn the Spamblock off for Alumni apparently)

- Messages are able to contain files like .mp3, .doc, .pdf, etc.

- Emails are neatly organized and you can easily type your recipients name by entering the first few letters of the first and last name. It connects directly to the directory.

- The News folder connects the entire school together easily.

- Users can easily post messages for announcements, and other school related news.

-Subfolders like Lost And Found and Buy, Sell & Trade give students an area to communicate with each other in a safer way than craigslist.org.