New software provides link between students, clubs

DIANE DYKES Reporter

The search for club information is over. South Dakota State University will launch a web application, or a campus link, to better direct students to clubs.

This website will allow students to find clubs, gain information and join the organizations.

Both the Students’ Association and the Center for Student Engagement have partnered to create Campus Link. This application will allow organizations and clubs to be more organized, give them more exposure and advertise themselves online.

An official name for the software hasn’t been decided, but Student Engagement is taking recommendations.

The site is not up yet, but according Addie Borah, assistant director for Student Engagement, the site will give students a sneak peak at clubs and organizations. It should show all organizations and what they do and offer. Each of the club’s profile will include in-depth information not included on their social media pages. The profiles will include events, photos, primary contact details, and more.

“The site designed for student organizations and designed to give them more exposure here on campus. With prospective and current students, it’s also a way to advertise to both those demographics. And kind of be more organized and give them more of a chance to express who they are and what they do,” Borah said.

As for gaining members, or encouraging more people to join, the site will recommend organizations based on interests and majors for students. These recommendations will come from the information on a student’s MyState or WebAdvisor account. 

For Borah, this resource did not come soon enough. 

“There just wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough exposure. It wasn’t getting enough information out there. And so we had many students tell us that we need something,” she said.

The site itself won’t be available for students until later this academic year. The site use students’ information from the school system so students will not have to create an account. 

Once the site is launched and operational, SA and the Student Engagement Center will make an announcement.

Students’ Association is working with Borah on the Campus Link. According to SA president Ally Helms, their main job is finding the money to pay for the site, and making sure that there will be money in the budget for the coming years to continue to pay for the site.

SA started to invest in a similar program in their 2014 budget plan, but it didn’t work out. Now that SA has extra money, they decided it was time to implement Campus Link. The extra money they had was to put Campus Link into effect, and they are hoping that once the cost for it goes down, they can add it to students’ General Activity Fee (GAF).

“The yearly ongoing will be about three cents a credit hour, so for the average student they’re paying $1 a year or 50 cents a semester,” Helms said. 

To Helms, this is a small price to pay for student organizations to get more members, thereby allowing students to have a better college experience.