Name: Evan Jarmol, creator of College Beeper
Year: Sophomore
Major: Computer Information Systems
Hometown: Bethany Beach, Delaware
Q: What is your involvement in College Beeper?
A: I formed the company, created the website, and currently operate it. Amongst many other tasks I am heading our development team recently put together to add some much needed functionality to the site.
Q: How was College Beeper started?
A:I was sitting in physics class freshmen year looking over AppStateBeeper.com when a thought came to me, why would they stop there? Let’s make a website that centralizes the beeper system we know and love here at Appalachian and spread it to every college campus in the country! So I packed my bag, left the class, went back to my dorm and started typing a plan for the website.
Q:What made you decide to get involved?
A: Finding a beeper or publicizing your number if you wanted to beep was a very hard task before College Beeper. 1 in 5 college students have admitted to driving drunk and there is absolutely no reason for that anymore. I got involved to make finding a sober ride out or back home so easy that over time even the thought of driving drunk is completely eliminated. It also enables a way for students to give back to the community through directly taking potential impaired drivers off the road.
Q:What is one thing you think people don’t know about what you do?
A: They don’t know I haven’t made a single dollar on the website because that wasn’t the mission. If someone finds out I created College Beeper, their next question is always, “How much money do you make?!” I don’t charge anything to sign up to drive beeper and I don’t take a percentage of any tips. The potential to monetize the website through selling advertisements has always been there and I’m exploring that now because lawyers, web servers, domains, maintenance, promotional materials, mobile applications, etc. are all expensive and add up fast. To this date I’ve only spent my own money saved from waiting tables on the weekends.
Q:How does College Beeper work? If students want more information, where should they go?
A: On a computer or smart phone, go to www.collegebeeper.com. From there you can simply touch a number to dial a beeper as well as sign up to drive. For now that’s all there is, but we have begun working on features like creating a profile, the ability to rate beepers, leave comments, automating the sign up and posting process, and requiring confirmed email addresses and phone numbers. For more information, you can go to the website.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about College Beeper?
A: My favorite thing about CB is how much it impacts student life. TV commercials that remind you to drink responsibly or tell you that police are out and you will get caught have an impact sure, but it’s nothing compared to how College Beeper impacts the cause.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part for you?
A: The most rewarding part for me is taking a beeper home and talking to them about why they drive beeper. To hear someone tell me that one of their best friends back home died from a DWI related accident and this is how they are trying to save others from going through the same pain and grievance. Or to hear someone tell me that tips from driving beeper are their only way to pay rent. It’s rewarding that my idea, my website, enables them to do those things and it’s conversations like those that motivate me to work harder and make College Beeper better.