This semester, the college replaced LafSync, the old activity center used to provide students with information about campus events and organizations, with a new software called OurCampus. LafSync, which was under utilized by students, will be phased out this semester and replaced by the new platform to provide students with a “one-stop shop” for campus organizations.
The college’s website describes LafSync as a means for students to “connect with student organizations, find out about events on campus, and explore the Lafayette community.”
In addition to these features, student groups also relied on the software to organize and communicate about their organizations, and the online component offered a platform for event sign-up, marketing, and budgetary management.
Director of Student Involvement Vanessa Pearson was heavily involved in the transition from LafSync to OurCampus, and noted that this transition was one of the main projects for her office this semester.
“One of the big things we are focusing on is the implementation of OurCampus,” she said. “We’re transitioning, working on setting things up and communicating to student groups”.
Also involved with the transition were Assistant Dean of Students Jodie Frey and Special Assistant to the Vice President Riley Godshall. This team has been heavily involved in selecting the software, as well as helping students adjust to the changes.
“[The college] evaluated other options and determined [that] CampusGroups [the company that makes OurCampus] offered more functionality, efficiency, and ease of use,” the team reported in an email.
They also noted that OurCampus has a number of advantages over LafSync, including “better functionality and workflows in terms of group management, event promotion, and budgeting.”
Additionally, according to the team, the new software is more organized and more effectively supports student organization structures.
“[OurCampus is a great platform] for student groups to have one place to communicate, create and share events, and manage their organization”, the team wrote.
In addition, they said that they will be “onboarding other academic departments and administrative offices” to begin using the software themselves.
Looking forward, the team said that the college hopes OurCampus will be better utilized by students than its predecessor.
“The goal for OurCampus is to create a one-stop shop for all student groups to create and share events and complete their organization business,” they said. “[We want] OurCampus to become one of the main resources to find out what is happening on campus.”