New app developed to promote campus events

A new app is bringing campus events and news to students’ fingertips.

CampusQuad, currently available for iPhone and Android devices, was brought to Richmond by the Center for Student Involvement as a way for students to stay informed about events happening on campus.

“We wanted to devise a strategy to give students the ability to learn about campus events on a mobile device, and we didn’t have the ability to do that with the technology we had,” said Anthony Crenshaw, associate director for student organizations and leadership development.

Any Richmond organization, office or student can post their events or news for the rest of campus to see, Crenshaw said.

“It’s most similar to Instagram and Twitter,” Crenshaw said. “It’s photo based, but you can also put in words and links.”

Before officially partnering with CampusQuad to bring the app to campus, the Center for Student Involvement met with the Richmond College Student Government Association, Westhampton College Student Government Association and Spider Board to get their opinions, Crenshaw said.

Mike Flanigan, an RCSGA senator, says students can use CampusQuad like other social media apps.

“If you’re waiting somewhere and on your phone, you can easily use the app and see what’s going on around campus,” Flanigan said.

The roll out of CampusQuad comes three years after the Center for Student Involvement began requiring student organizations to register on OrgSync, a web platform designed to centralize campus groups and events.

“OrgSync is designed as an organization management tool,” Crenshaw said. “What we tried to do was find a way to leverage that for everyone to use it, and that didn’t work.”

CampusQuad however, does not serve some of the same functions that OrgSync does, such as registering members and spending money, Crenshaw said.

“OrgSync will still exist. It will serve as a function for student organization leaders to manage their organizations,” Crenshaw said. “CampusQuad is for everyone.”

Over 800 people have already joined the app, and the goal is to reach 1,000 users by the end of next week, Crenshaw said.

CampusQuad also plans to launch a web-based version during the week of Sept. 14th, Crenshaw said.

“We really try to respond to where students’ needs are,” Crenshaw said. “I’m hopeful that people will use it to be more informed.” 

Contact reporter Jack Clark at john.s.clark@richmond.edu.