Data from WDYWM compiled

Two months after the launch of the USG’s “Which do you want more?” (WDYWM) project, the USG has publicized the sorted and compiled data, which shows that lower textbook prices top the list of issues important to students.

The WDYWM survey, accessible at point.princeton.edu/fun, was launched Nov. 3 and allows students to vote between two items and add their own suggestions for changes on campus to the set of possible selections. The goal of the project, which was developed by USG president Josh Weinstein ’09 and David Benjamin ’10, is to generate feedback about what matters to the student body.

“The results, I hope, will be meaningful for the next and future USGs,” Weinstein said in an e-mail.

“As focus groups hope to approach issues and priorities, this is another source of information that they can refer to and cite,” he added.

The full set of data is available at usg.princeton.edu/wdywm and is sorted by class year and residential college.

Data on the site is currently sorted by win percentage, regardless of sample size. Weighted results are available on the Point website.

The system keeps a ranked list of issues based on the input it receives. Lower textbook prices, P/D/F policy, Firestone hours, financial aid and food-related options are currently among the leading issues.

“Even though each user does not individually vote on all possible pairs of suggestions, by combining the inputs of all users we can create an accurate picture of what students really care about,” Benjamin said in an e-mail.

Weinstein said that though he was not surprised by the most popular items, he was “particularly impressed by some of the great, new ideas that were suggested, especially the bus to DC for inauguration.”

The USG also used the WDYWM to solicit suggestions for specific DVD titles.

Over the course of two weeks, nearly 700 users inputted and ranked DVD suggestions for the free USG DVD program.

Students’ thoughts about the effectiveness of the online tool and its potential are mixed.

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According to the USG website, WDYWM had generated 30,405 clicks on 306 ideas from 1,783 users as of Jan. 11.

Many students interviewed said they had never heard of the site or that they had used it once or twice.

“I haven’t used it too much, but that’s because I don’t end up on Point too much,” Peter Grabowski ’12 said.

Alex Man ’10 said that he had never used the site before because “the only thing I ever use Point for is to look for events.”

Sudeep Doshi ’10 said that he had never heard of the site,but added that he would “potentially use it or at least check it out” after learning about it.

Other students said that though they believed the site was useful in highlighting important issues, they questioned the likelihood of the suggestions being implemented.

“All the suggestions that people have submitted — they’re not things that will actually get addressed.” Anna Zhao ’12 said.

Alex Shih ’11, who said he used the site once, agreed. “I didn’t think a lot of the options were very viable.”

Grabowski said that it is important for the USG to have the information available. “I think it will allow the USG to focus on what people want most, which is kind of cool,” he said.

“I think it has merits,” Kevin Zhu ’12 said. “For me, it’s not useful, but I can see why it would be.”

Doshi added, “It’s really a question of how much faith people have in the USG’s ability to do anything.”