Surely you saw the highlighter-neon shirts that posed the question “Do you QU?” But do you?
Quinnipiac University teamed up with CollegiateLink, a student-centric social networking site, to form a website to manage extracurricular activities, student organizations, and campus events. According to Student Programming Board President Vincent Bond, it’s something special.
“For me, it’s one of my new favorite things to use,” Bond said. “I check on it every morning.”
Quinnipiac’s CollegiateLink (titled “Do You QU?”) is a personal website for students to manage organizations, events, news and “To Do” lists. The virtual bulletin board contains flyers with information including date, time, people attending and more.
“It’s a vital part of the experience here at Quinnipiac,” Bond said. “If you’re not involved, there isn’t a better way.”
Even not-so-technologically savvy students should find the site easy and maneuverable. The website works with the MyQ login. A six-minute video tutorial is also available for extra assistance.
Once logged on, a quick assessment of your interests will categorize potential organizations you might be interested in. Over time, your profile will expand as your involvement in organizations increases. CollegiateLink keeps track of co-curricular transcripts and career and graduate profiles. It also links to Facebook to post events.
“Every recognized student organization has been preloaded into the website,” said Erin Twomey, associate director of the student center and campus life. “As for active web pages or profiles, there are approximately 75 organizations that are currently utilizing the site.”
While the site carries many of the same tools as Facebook (events and groups), Camille Cielo, former Asian/Pacific Islander Student Association president, found the Quinnipiac personality of “Do You QU?” unique.
“When I first saw it, I thought, ‘Why would I join?’” Cielo said. “But people are really curious–and it’s another way to publicize my organization and get some attention.”
SPB was one of the first organizations to hop aboard. Flyers for a trip to see “The Lion King” on Broadway and the showing of the newest “Jackass” movie are currently posted to the bulletin board.
“It utilizes everything we need to do,” Bond said.
Bond also recognized the fact it helps SPB go green. With access to virtual flyers, less paper is needed to spread the word about events.
“The more we use CollegiateLink, the bigger it will be for incoming freshman,” Bond said.
