Courtesy of sa.rochester.edu
Campus Activities Board (CAB) launched an interactive website designed and executed entirely by students (sa.rochester.edu/dandelionday) on Monday, April 2 to showcase this year’s Dandelion Day events, which will be held on Friday, April 27.
Following the administration’s decision in February to move D-Day to the Friday, rather than the Saturday before reading period when it has traditionally been held, and to dramatically increase the budget for the day, the CAB executive board decided that launching a website would serve the need for “clear communication” to students about the specifics of the day.
“We want to get people excited and to keep building that excitement and that momentum in the coming weeks,” CAB president and senior Palida Noor said. “Everyone has been saying that this year’s [D-Day] is going to be bigger, but no one quite knew how, so this is a way to show that.”
The site, which features archive pictures of D-Day and a map of campus where various attractions are labeled, was originally planned to be launched at noon on April 2, but did not go live until 12:30 a.m. Tuesday due to technical issues, according to Noor. In the 12 hours following its launch, the site received 2,200 hits, she said.
CAB only announced a handful of typical D-Day events on Monday, but it plans to unveil more details each coming Monday until the Monday before D-Day — April 23 — when CAB will unveil the D-Day band, the “last hurrah” in this process of building momentum and excitement among the student body, Noor explained.
Events announced Monday included a Ferris wheel, a carnival slide, airbrush tattoos and balloon animals, in addition to traditional expectations for student participation in the day.
“Hopefully once it’s all rolled out, people will see that there really is something for everyone,” CAB event manager and senior Chris Botash said. “Most people didn’t know what to think and what the changes would be after the administration’s announcement, so the goal of the website is to really crystallize the changes for this year’s event.”
Botash added that CAB plans to grow the website from its current “bare-bones” form and has plans to add more student reaction.
CAB event manager and senior Brandon Podyma concurred, stating that CAB hopes to “keep people coming back to the site.”
Podyma added that he hopes the site can help to change student mentality about the day, especially given the fact that much of what will transpire at this year’s event “has never been seen on campus before.”
Podyma also said that one of the most noticeable things about this year’s planning has been the collaboration between various student groups, the administration, faculty and students.
The site points students to this collaborative spirit by advertising the opportunity to get involved with CAB or UR Concerts, which are both currently looking for students or campus groups to perform on D-Day.
Podyma believes that one of the best features of this year’s event could be the involvement and partnership of such broad segments of campus, all of which contribute to the day’s apparent de facto catch phrase displayed at the top of the website: “Like never before.”
Buletti is a member of the class of 2013.
