WHITEWATER — In light of the national college admissions scandal, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater senior believes he has a solution.
"It was just another reassurance that it is relevant," said Casey Seidl.
Through a business program at school, Seidl and his peers developed a platform called "Total Student." He said it has been in the works for a couple years.
"They can't fake how many volunteer hours they've done that year. Mom or dad can no longer sign off on volunteer hours just so students can graduate. It has to be verified," said Seidl.
The platform can be used on a computer or mobile device. It manages and tracks a student's extra curricular activities, and it uses geo-location or QR codes to verify their involvement.
"Certification for extracurricular activities is really very important," said William Dougan, Professor of Management at UW-Whitewater. "It's important to the college admission process, but it's also important to the employment process later on."
The platform caught the attention of Bob Vitale, Seidl's old principal at Menomonee Falls High School. Vitale said officials are considering implementing Total Student, and it could help kids and advisers.
"I think that's huge especially today especially with what we're going through like you said with the scandals. it is all legit now. it's all on this platform for the kids. I don't have to go back and say what did I do two years ago," said Vitale.
Seidl said their team is in talks with schools across Wisconsin and outside of the state. They plan on a full launch by August 2019.
