The origin story of Campus Loop
Our story begins where all the best stories do — in college. We were determined to make the most of our time in college, which to us meant we had to get ourselves involved in just about everything we could — from cheering with the spirit squad at NCAA Basketball games, to sitting on the on-campus housing and dining advisory committee, participating in the Academic Decathlon, and planning a national leadership conference. Oh yeah — and we went to class and stuff. We did it all…or at least we tried.
What we quickly discovered was that no matter how involved we thought we were, we always seemed to miss out on something because we simply didn’t know it was happening. Senior Bear Garden? A college sponsored tailgate party with free beer and a chance to win a campus parking spot? — heck ya, we’d love to attend! Too bad it was last week! We knew there had to be a better way to bring event information together — some sort of central resource — for everyone in the campus community to consume. And from that problem, we came up with a solution: Campus Loop.
As we worked on the project, we discovered there was something about it that made it more than just a campus event calendar. Campus Loop was reinforcing what we inherently loved about college — the community. When we get all philosophical about it, our college experience was meaningful not because of the things we did (Alpha Chi party — check, semester in Gospel Choir — check, study abroad — check); it was meaningful because of the people we met, the experiences we had, and most importantly because of the relationships we made. There is something pretty freaking cool about getting to know other people on your campus and coming to appreciate that the chick who always drums on her desk in Chem 6A, or that dude who practices his freestyle bike tricks on the plaza on Tuesdays. We were all living in the same space, at the same time, and with the same people. Our interconnectedness is invaluable and vital.
But let’s face it, we live in a time when our online social networking is discussed more than our in-person networking, and where we aren’t really friends with someone until they have accepted our friend request. And while social media is attributed with “connecting” people, it is also causing us to scroll on our phones for hours instead of giving the person standing right in front of us five minutes of our time to get to know a little something about them.
“Okay…but Campus Loop is just another website — aren’t you being a little hypocritical?”
True, Campus Loop is another website. No, we don’t think we are being hypocrites. Campus Loop was created to be an extension of your physical campus community — only those who are a part of your community can join, and those who are not, like your Dentist or your summer internship supervisor, cannot. Furthermore, we aren’t proposing that you get on Campus Loop and “waste time” (you have a 10 page paper on the meaning of “The Metamorphosis” due tomorrow after all), but instead use it as a tool to see if anyone around you has a suggestion for what to do Tuesday night, or if anyone is looking for a roommate next year.
Campus Loop has taken many forms from its inception to the service it is today. Just as each campus has its vibe, so does Campus Loop. We anticipate each campus community using it in different ways, and giving it a life of its own. Join Campus Loop. Join a Community.