The Living Room of Campus

If you think about the role of a student union on campus, what are the things that first come to mind? It’s a real question, but let me share what I came up with:

The student union is the living room of the campus. It’s the hub for events and programming, administrative offices, dining, socializing, meeting space and many other important aspects of student life.

My name is Collin Rodino and I have worked as the Public Relations Associate for Webb Center since February. I have shared a little bit about the role of Webb Center in student life, now I’d like to give you some insight into what we are doing to engage students and why.

It is because the student union is so important to student life that we work to bring the student union experience to you. We feel that there is real value in sharing what happens on campus with students and that by sharing what happens in Webb we can more effectively engage students. We can show rather than tell, what’s going on around campus, and why getting involved is important.

We utilize social media to provide the university community with insight into past and upcoming events, university updates, services and opportunities on campus. By logging in to your preferred social media websites, you can keep your finger on the pulse of activities on campus.

Our other goal is to help student organizations and administrative offices create awareness about their events and services. The university community is just that: a community. By supporting our student organizations and offices, we create an environment in which student support drives success. We can help organizations and departments figure out what we want, what we need, and what improvements can be made. We aim to be a resource for these groups.

I have been fortunate enough to have been engaged early in my college career. I have been given so many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and I am very grateful. They have helped me to develop as an individual, as a leader, and as a young professional entering the “real world”. We all pay tuition, and by engaging in the community you can get as much out of your experience as you want. I will be graduating December 15, and looking back I know that I have made the most of my time at Old Dominion.

We want to help you engage in your campus community, and to help you make your college experience something enchanting.

So get out there and get involved!

We’ll let you know what’s happening.

Collin Rodino

Public Relations Associate

Old Dominion ‘12

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Fall Into Engagement

Old Dominion University is brimming with excitement this fall, and it is a fun time to be a Monarch.  Each fall we celebrate Monarch spirit with Homecoming, a series of events from a comedy and step show to a parade and fireworks.  Cirque du Monarch is the theme of this year’s Homecoming season, and it should not be missed as there is something to spark the interest of every student. 

I am always excited to see students interacting in meaningful ways, and Homecoming is just one of the many ways to get engaged at Old Dominion this semester.  You simply have to walk the halls of Webb University Center (Webb) during activity hour to experience the heart and soul of the Monarch community.

Did you know that there are more than 300 student clubs and organizations at ODU?  With a bustling roster of events, programs, student organizations, and leadership opportunities, there is always something to keep you engaged this fall. Stop by the Student Engagement & Enrollment Services office located at 2008 Webb Center to learn how you can become more involved at ODU.

Ellen 

Dr. Ellen Neufeldt

Vice President for Student Engagement & Enrollment Services

Campus Chaos Concert

The following is a note about the planning for the upcoming Campus Chaos Concert!

"It has been a long and arduous journey, full of ups and downs, but the Campus Chaos Concert is almost here!
The Student Activities Council and the Concerts Committee have been working diligently on preparations for Night Chaos since January!

Before I get into the nitty gritty of planning, I wanted to take this oportunity to remind you about the concert and the general event information!

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The concert is THIS SATURDAY, April 21st!
The doors open at 6:00PM and the first act starts playing at 7:00PM.
The last act will finish up at 12:00AM.
Performances will take place on four stages set up throughout Webb Center.

Tickets are $5 for students and $15 for general admission and they can be picked up at the Webb Information Desk and here HERE.

The following artists will be there:
Carolina Liar, Theophilus London, Brett Eldredge, Flosstradamus, Bison, Audistrobelight, Nickelus F., Russell Dickerson, DJ Ben Egan, PicUp Kids, Back to Normal, Ara Vega, Joe Moorhead, Alex Mcginnis, Conscious Kane, Skye Zentz and Def Beach Society!


Spend some time on YouTube if you don't recognize some of their names, there is something for everyone!
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To tell you all of the specific and intricate details of planning a concert would be a bit much, but I aim to shed some light on the approach that we take to programming such large shows.
Artists are selected based on student surveys, recommendations for the Student Activities Council's contracted agent, Student Activities Council Executive Council decisions, and Concerts Committee suggestions!
Many artists showcased in this festival are very well known; whether globally, in Hampton Roads or at Old Dominion!  Professional, local and student performers come out in force for this event; a whopping 18 artists!

We brainstormed, surveyed, did research and voted on which artists would perform this year, and we are confident that we've got everybody's favorite genre of music covered!
We have been working with our middle agent for our professional acts, and SAC members have been working with artists from ODU and Hampton Roads.
In booking and getting artists to agree to perform, we receive what is called a rider from them.  A rider is a contract that includes technical specifications, lodging information, and hospitality requirements that the artist or agency needs to secure for the performance. So we go through each rider and make cuts based on what we can provide for them, and get them approved by the artist.
Once all of the booking is done, comes the contracts and what is called "advance".  An advance is a meeting or communication to coordinate all last minute and day-of-show details so that both the artist(s) and us can prepare and make sure that they show goes as smooth as possible.
Topics covered by advancing are set times and locations, parking, travel, meals, equipment load in, backstage passes, and other important logistics for each artist.
Security, marketing, radio rental, volunteers and other arrangements were able to be made far in advance of the show, but are critical to the success of the show!

The day of show... Well for this show has not happened yet!
But we are so excited for the show, and to see you all there!

I hope that this was informative and interesting for you all!