Showing posts with label Student Union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Student Union. Show all posts

Friday, November 16, 2012

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

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

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


Thursday, May 3, 2012

A Letter from the Webb Center Director


Congratulations ODU graduates! 

As the school year ends and we all look forward to those lazy days of summer, the staff at Webb Center are gearing up for a ton of projects to make Webb a better place for you to hang out, eat or study.  Some of these things won’t be visible, but enhance the infrastructure and efficiency of our building systems.  Most significant, though boring, is replacement of the cooling tower out back.  The one there was installed in 1992 and has outlived its life expectancy by 10 years!  This will be done right after graduation and involves renting a temporary cooling tower that will arrive on a flatbed truck and be parked out back for the two week duration of the project.

The other infrastructure project we’re completing is a rework of all of the plumbing underneath the kitchen and back part of Webb.  Patrick Sullivan and his maintenance guys are doing this work in house and will save us at least $100,000 by completing the work themselves as opposed to hiring a contractor to do it.  Much of the plumbing in this part of the building is circa 1964, so you can imagine how old and crummy it is.

Now for the fun stuff!  We know we suffer from too little study space in Webb.  The folks at Monarch Market have agreed to downsize their operation by approximately 600 square feet so we can develop a small study lounge on that hallway.  My hope is that we’ll also be able to use the space for student art shows, but I haven’t had a chance to discuss this with the Art Department.  This lounge will be furnished with power built in to the seating so you can plug in and charge your phone, tablet or laptop.

Other projects include:
·         Quiznos is leaving and will be replaced with a national brand sub shop.  The new shop will require the old Quiznos space and the space next to it (that has been the student art gallery).

·          






      Hampton/Newport News Room is getting a face lift:  new paint, carpet, lighting, draperies and reupholstered chairs.
·         Wendell Cruz is renovating the game room to include new pool tables and gaming stations.

·         We are purchasing one digital, interactive directory to be installed in the center front lobby.  Please send feedback on this product.  If you’re happy with it we will purchase others.

·         Throughout Webb you’ll see new mobile device charging stations.  We are going to experiment with a couple of different products and see which you like best.

I think that will keep us pretty busy most of the summer.  From all the Webb Center staff, I wish you a fun-filled, productive summer.

Sue Mitchell
Director, Webb University Center