Tech-savvy faculty members recently started sneaking square barcodes onto cool signs, trendy brochures and snazzy coupons.
Although the intriguing codes may look innocent, they could potentially take over campus interactions and creativity as ACU knows it.
Soon, all signs for events will be allowed to contain only a few enticing words and a QR code that leads to additional information and the ability to put the event in a student’s iPhone calendar.
Because students can advertise events only online or as a printed flyer in the all-but-popular ad kiosk, it makes sense to do away with creativity in advertising all together.
Authorities will allot a 10-word maximum and then slap a QR code on the poster, leading to more information. Thus, students will stop lobbying to bring chalk advertising back because even the best artist finds it nearly impossible to draw a readable QR code by hand.
Along the same lines, The Optimist no longer will print actual stories in the newspaper. Instead, we’ll be encouraged to simply print large QR codes linking readers to our website.
This initiative will save the newspaper money and fall in line with ACU’s green initiative, because we’ll be using less paper.
Also, the QR code mania will hit the freshman class as soon as they get their hands on an ACU-issued iPhone.
Instead of receiving an easily lost, fragile ID card, Welcome Week workers will stamp the new students’ hands with a permanent and personalized QR code. The code will contain necessary personal information: name, phone number, email, banner ID and photo. The stamps will eliminate the slow, outdated process of reciting name and phone number to someone’s face.
In fact, students also will have the option of getting an additional QR code hand stamp that links directly to the Facebook page of the QR code wearer, putting an end to the tedious process of remembering a new friend’s name and searching for them on Facebook later.
And finally, ACU can rid itself of the antiquated process of face-to-face instruction. Professors won’t be required to physically be in class anymore as long as they post a large QR code on the blackboard that links to a podcast of the planned lecture.
Students, faculty and staff must grab their free iPhone, download the proper QR code app and start scanning, or else they might get left behind – or, worse: be forced to interact with people in person.
