Note-taking services now accepting volunteers only

Doom should be inevitable to businesses who stop paying their employees. But the note-taking branch of IU's Disability Services for Students' new, more efficient business plan has done exactly that -- stopped paying its employees. \nFor the past few years, student note takers received a $25-per-credit-hour stipend for their semester's lecture notes. Disability services found that the time it took to acquire and maintain paid note takers was overwhelming.\n"The whole process of hiring, orienting and dealing with paperwork was a nightmare," said Martha Jacques, director of disability services. "This semester the program has run smoothly, with fewer complaints than in the past."\nDisability Services looked at other universities, which were already successfully using volunteer note takers, and followed suit. Through cooperation from professors who announce the need for volunteers, note takers are paired with students in need.\nNote-taking services are on the rise, with 105 students receiving notes for 461 class sections last semester, up from 80 students for 317 class sections in the fall of 2004.\nIU undergraduates Benny Goldman and A.J. Punjabi launched Hoosier Notes this semester. The pair was looking to provide a paid service for all college students. The Web site began by offering lecture notes and study guides for some of the larger lecture classes such as calculus, finite math and economics.\nGoldman said the Web site never really took off in its first semester, as it focused on increasing awareness of the product and working out the kinks. He said they are going to regroup this summer and come back next semester with a better product.\n"We're expanding our Web site and launching again with a better course selection in the fall," Goldman said. \nGoldman said that Hoosier Notes pays its note takers significantly more than disability services did, but was inefficient compared with disability services. \nCatherine Beeker, note-taking coordinator for IU's service, said that it's been an easy transition to get willing volunteers. \n"Usually we just have professors send out an e-mail asking for note takers and we get a few responses," Beeker said. "Students want to help out or want something positive to put on their resume."\nIt remains to be seen if the students who are not provided for by IU's volunteer note takers will embrace paying for supplemental notes from business like Hoosier Notes.