UPDATED: Sept. 28 at 10:40 a.m.

Shazif Shaikh believes connectivity and integration between students are essential to every campus, which is why he is a part of a student organization that works to digitally connect students on Syracuse University’s campus.

Shaikh, a sophomore aerospace engineering major, is a member of Spiders, a group of student employees who complement the online platform staff at SU.

“We are extremely passionate in what we do,” Shaikh said.

At any given time, the web developer could be working on several projects including data analysis and improving data accessibility for the student body. In the past, Spiders has worked on 3-D visualization, portfolio template creation and more. Shaikh said Spiders has even created some of the SU Snapchat geofilters we see around campus.

Shaikh was one of the first to apply for the position during his freshman year and was interviewed when he arrived at campus. He got the job within a few days.

“I think the running joke is that no one ever knows when I’m working,” Shaikh said. “I literally spend most of my free time, there so I might be sitting there doing work of some sort and no one would know if I’m on the clock or off.”

Besides working on crucial university operations, Shaikh is also gaining valuable programming and professional experience. Because of his positive experience at Spiders, Shaikh is considering adding a computer science minor to complement his current major.

In terms of connectivity between students, Shaikh believes SU should work on making information more accessible to students.

“There are so many resources on campus that are available that no one really knows about, like the printing and meal management websites,” Shaikh said. “Bringing together all this information in one place would be really good.”

Shaikh is currently a resident advisor at SU and has worked on a site called “Hitchhiker’s Guide to Life” for his fellow residents. He hopes that SU will create something similar for the entire university.

“Spiders is more than a job,” Shaikh said. “It’s a family that I can count on for encouragement and advice that helps me grow as a person.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the projects Spiders is working on were misstated. The group is not currently working on a MySlice redesign nor on a collaboration with the Centro bus system. The Daily Orange regrets these errors.

Published on September 27, 2016 at 8:59 pm

Contact Saniya: ssmore@syr.edu