Texas A&M Used Zoom Before It Was Cool

In the wake of a global pandemic, many are forced indoors, and some companies are profiting from the extreme changes to day-to-day life. One company, Zoom Video Communications, has expanded its reach significantly. Overnight, many went from having never heard of the name “Zoom” to not being able to receive an email without one of their links in it.

Given its growing popularity, Texas A&M University officials clarified last Wednesday that they had already been using Zoom far before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is hardly surprising considering the university’s historically innovative track record with technology, seen through its on-campus Wi-Fi system that never falters, as well as its reliable, state-of-the-art online class site, eCampus. “We used Zoom when it was still underground,” President Michael K. Young said. “Honestly, I liked it more before it was popular. Now it’s just not the same when even your grandma is using it.”

Given the university’s Ashton Kutcher-like tech foresight, the switch to online classes was light work. It was discovered that one introverted sociology professor, Hubert Reynolds, had already embraced Zoom early on. “The university had me teaching in-person classes, but given my fears, I chose to conduct my in-person classes over zoom,” Reynolds said. “Eventually, I was discouraged by the amount of vaping and PJs I saw, and I retired shortly thereafter.”

Reports also indicate that Texas A&M has begun moving much of the remaining sanitation budget for residence halls towards investing in virtual reality. “The world has already latched on to the one thing that showed we were ahead of the times,” said head researcher of the project Pavel Gujrati. “We are doing the utmost to make sure we can host one of the most integral parts of student life in virtual reality: college football.” With this project in motion, Texas A&M has been able to guarantee that, regardless of the scope of the pandemic, America can rest assured that we will have Aggie Football.

 

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