VandalSync is similar to Facebook for student organizations, said Assistant Director of Student Involvement Katie Dahlinger. Students can connect to groups on campus, find service opportunities, participate in discussions, keep track of dues and ensure calendars and events are organized.
Dahlinger said VandalSync is the hub of online student involvement at the University of Idaho.
Although the software isn’t new, it’s been “vandalized.” According to Dahlinger, the university has used the program OrgSync since 2010, but has recently gotten a facelift and a new name. Dahlinger hopes students will find it more accessible.
“Student organizations wanted resources to help manage their groups, and incoming students want an easy way to find clubs to join,” Dahlinger said. “VandalSync gives solutions other platforms currently don’t. We want to make it as easy as possible for students to join organizations and find service opportunities, and at this point, we think VandalSync is the answer.”
Eventually, Dahlinger said she hopes VandalSync will be the primary way students sign up and stay connected with student organizations.
Currently, over 4,000 undergraduate students — or 44 percent of the student body — have registered for an account. Dahlinger hopes that number will rise to at least 60 percent, and thinks it may already be on its way, with 116 new registrants since Aug. 1.
To encourage student organizations to get involved with VandalSync, the Department of Student Involvement introduced “6 Weeks of VandalSync.”
Each week, organizations have to complete a task on their VandalSync profile, such as creating a welcome message, uploading photos or removing outdated members.
Organizations that complete that week’s task earn a prize, such as a 2-by-6-foot banner or a $100 coupon to The Shirt Shack for club t-shirts. During weeks five and six, organizations will compete for best website and most creative use.
Phi Mu Alpha Men’s Sinfonia President Shayne Seubert said that while his organization hasn’t done much to explore VandalSync yet, he believes it will become an asset to them as they familiarize themselves with the program.
“There’s a lot more focus on being able to get your name and the idea behind the organization out there,” Seubert said. “The program seems a lot more streamlined, and I think it’ll be a little bit easier to really utilize that.”
Seubert said his favorite feature of VandalSync is the option to send messages to all members of the group at once.
With the end of UI’s three-year contract with OrgSync approaching, Dahlinger said the Department of Student Involvement would be keeping a close eye on the program’s strengths and shortcomings throughout the academic year.
“We’re minus a director, so once we have a new Director of Student Involvement, we’ll do lots of evaluating,” Dahlinger said. “My best guess is that we’ll continue with VandalSync, and continue trying to reach for most students to be engaged and involved. However, if we do an assessment along the way and find students aren’t utilizing it, we don’t want to spend student fees frivolously.”
Students can register for a VandalSync account at uidaho.orgsync.com.
Hannah Shirley can be reached at [email protected]