Vike, the student-created app designed to promote events and programs on campus, now allows users to register for events early. The app received an update on March 29 from developers and seniors, Hung Tran and Stephanie Nhi Le, since its initial release to the student body on March 18. Vike now has a total of 250 active users and several student groups have utilized the app to promote their activities and events to the community.
“We currently have 50 events added in total, and we expect to double or triple the number of events and users in the next 1 or 2 months,” Tran said.
In the new update, Vike now allows event planners to have guests check in early. Students can do this by checking in through the app or by scanning an event-specific QR code. According to Tran, this helps event planners obtain a rough estimate of who is coming to the event and how to plan going forward.
“That way we keep track of how many people are [planning on] going, how many people are not going, [and] how many people register and go to the event,” Tran said. “So that way the organizer can keep track of how many people going, and they can make better decisions based on the numbers.”
Vike is available for students to download through the app store on IOS or Android devices. First-Year Roman Bilanicz downloaded Vike and said the app is a convenient and easy way to check out recent events.
“The app is very well done. The developers did an excellent job making it easy to navigate,” Bilanicz said. “The colors are nice and friendly, and I also enjoy that they have large portrait photos for every event to make each event individual, not just a name, saying this is what we have going on.”
Although the app was not available to students until mid-March, Vike has been used within the Office of Student Life (OSL) since January. Junior Isabella Olalde serves as co-director for marketing in the OSL and was able to use the app before its official release to the public.
“In January, we were in the introductory stage where just the OSL staff was using the app and nobody else knew about it,” Olalde said. “So we were testing it out seeing what could be improved, seeing how students would use it.”
According to Olalde, since the app is still relatively new, it has yet to significantly change how the OSL markets events. Rather, it has just introduced another way to do so.
“Now in the spring semester, with the release of it, we’re also still just very much not pushing on it super hard until we can see just how we see it work with students,” Olalde said.
The OSL plans to utilize the app more next year.
Senior Esme O’Rourke is the other co-director of OSL marketing. O’Rourke said Vike introduces a new way of marketing around campus and that she is excited to see what the future holds for the OSL after she leaves.
“As a senior who’s graduating, it’s exciting to see these new student-made innovations to help the office and with the help of this app. It’s going to transform how the OSL works, and I’m really excited to see that happen after I leave,” O’Rourke said.
Developers Tran and Le said they would like any students who have feedback about the app to reach out to them directly through their Augustana email.
