For the first time at F&M, you can be notified of upcoming campus events on T.V.
A television was installed in the Atrium of the Steinman College Center over Winter break as part of the digital signage project implemented by the Diplomatic Congress.
“The digital signage project is the brainchild of Vassilis Coutifaris ’09, former President of the Diplomatic Congress,” wrote Hormuz Masani ’10, president of the Diplomatic Congress, and Shawn Jenkins ’10, vice president of the Diplomatic Congress, in an e-mail to The College Reporter. “During his tenure, he and the executive board began to discuss ways to improve advertising at F&M, and as a result, they began the digital signage project. During the Fall semester of 2009, Lilah Thompson ’11, former secretary of the Diplomatic Congress, spearheaded this school-wide effort.”
The software for the digital signage program is running, but the Diplomatic Congress is still working on the details.
“Once the details are determined, the Diplomatic Congress will host an information session for clubs and organizations to familiarize the F&M community with the system,” Masani and Jenkins wrote.
They believe the program will be fully functioning in the next week or so.
The goal of the project is to improve the way the F&M community learns about events, according to Masani and Jenkins.
“We have received a great deal of support from the administration, as this was recognized as an attempt to centralize student events on campus,” they said. “This, along with the unification of College calendar, another Dip Con initiative, is a college-wide effort to streamline [advertisement of] F&M events. [The television] serves as a great way to bring the events to the [attention of the] campus rather than people deleting their F&M Events emails.”
It will also serve as an opportunity for students to get creative.
“Eventually, students will be able to create videos and play them as a loop on the signage,” Masani and Jenkins wrote.
Although the idea for the program originated in the Diplomatic Congress, College-wide cooperation was required to fund the project, which cost approximately $9,000.
“The project… was funded by many major organizations on campus, including the College Houses, student organizations such as Club Council and CEC Greek organizations, class presidents, and departments, specifically, Athletics, Health and Wellness, and Admission,” Masani and Jenkins wrote. “Additionally, President [John] Fry has contributed $3,000 to incentivize participation of other groups.”
Masani and Jenkins hope the television can be used for paid advertisements in addition to student ones.
“In the near future we hope to get off-campus retailers to use the signage as advertising space in order to generate revenue and meet some of the costs,” they said.
The College Center is an ideal location for the television, according to Masani and Jenkins.
“Since the College Center faces heavy student traffic, this will centralize events in one place,” they wrote. “The signage has other features, like the news and weather, which will also be attractive features for students.”
Junior Samantha LiTrenta is the News Editor. Her e-mail is samantha.litrenta@fandm.edu
