ASU student Barrett Masso may be touring the country promoting his new business, but the University is never far from his mind.
Although the interdisciplinary studies junior and his business partner are taking a year off from school to drive a Winnebago from one college campus to another in support of Ulife.com, he said he'll definitely return to finish his degree.
He said he wouldn't dare defy his mother for the business he launched Jan. 21.
"So you definitely better believe that regardless of how big [Ulife.com] is or how small it is, you'll see me back there a year from now because momma won't have it," he added.
Ulife.com is a Web site where students from around the country can chat, download music, get help on their homework, buy and sell goods and trade textbooks.
As of last week, about 3,000 people had signed up on the site, he said.
Masso already has hit campuses along the West Coast like the University of California at Los Angeles, Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. and Oregon State University. Now, he's heading to Panama City Beach, Fla. for spring break.
He started working on the idea for the business two years ago, while he was a freshman living in the Palo Verde East residence hall.
"I said, 'You know, how about a college Web site?' " Masso said during a phone interview while he drove through Oklahoma.
"You've got your eBay, you've got your Napster and Kazaa, and you've got all these great sites that are offering all these, but where's the college community?
"Where's a place where just the college community can go and interact and do what we do?" Masso said.
Ulife.com makes that online college community possible, said ASU finance junior Josh Robbie.
Robbie was one of the first people to sign up for the site.
"The music, the search engine and everything in one place, that's what I think is the best part about it," Robbie said. "The more people that know about it, the more people that are involved and sign up ... the better it will turn out for everybody."
Masso will be handing out food and promotional materials on campus every Tuesday and Thursday during April.
Reach the reporter at ilan.brat@asu.edu.
