Padlet replaces posters as primary method of event promotion at Concordia
A bulletin board in the Janzow Campus Center on Feb. 2.
Photo credit: Mi-Ree Zwick
By Mi-Ree Zwick
Concordia replaced campus posters in the month of January with the app and website Padlet as the new primary way for students to advertise campus events, but many student reactions to the digital bulletin board were neutral or negative.
Director of Student Life Anna Stumpf explained that the Padlet is a student-directed project that was started by the Student Senate to create an alternative marketing avenue. The Padlet is a digital way to keep students up to date on upcoming events, club activities and more. There are other ways to get this information, such as through posters, social media, the Concordia website or word-of-mouth.
Stumpf said that, before Padlet, there was “no central place where students can go and find information or find out about events.”
For the month of January, clubs were asked not to put posters on the bulletin boards to promote the Padlet.
“We wanted to show students what Padlet was, and you can’t really redirect attention if your attention is drawn to the posters,” said Stumpf.
Many students had neutral or negative reactions to the new system and temporary stop of physical posters.
Freshman Brianna Helsene said that she did not really like the idea of switching fully to online during the month of January. She did not mind the Padlet, but she missed being able to see flyers on the bulletin boards as she walked by.
Sophomore Grace Weber, junior Andrew Castens, and sophomore Hannah Dean shared the sentiment of missing seeing the posters as they walked around campus. Weber also said that she missed seeing the posters because they visually reminded her of events happening around campus.
“It kind of livened up the campus,” said Dean.
Sophomore Mackenzie Schepmann said that the absence of the posters made the campus seem empty and depressing.
Some students have not used the Padlet or have found it difficult to navigate.
Castens said that he had not used the Padlet because it requires him to take out his phone.
Sophomore Sam Hamilton said that he was not familiar with the Padlet. Dean said that she did not have the chance to use the Padlet yet.
Weber said that as an education major, she has used Padlet for different assignments. She said she was already familiar with Padlet, but that it may not be the case for other students.
“In theory, it’s a great idea, but for those who don’t know how to work it [Padlet], it can be complicated,” said Weber.
Schepmann strongly dislikes the new digital bulletin board, and she said she has not met anyone who sees the advantage in having the Padlet.
She said that she wished that there was a campus-wide survey that allowed students to voice what they wanted. However, Student Senate Treasurer Emma Kettelhake said the idea of a digital bulletin board was brought up by multiple students to Senate officers and through SLO surveys.
Schepmann was frustrated by the extra steps of accessing the website in order to view event information.
“It makes it infinitely harder to find things. Most people don’t have the time to log into their email and click on like 20 links just to see what’s going on this week,” Schepmann said.
Stumpf said students are encouraged to put posters on the bulletin boards now that January is over. The temporary absence was to bring awareness to the existence of the Padlet, and Stumpf said that posters are still helpful, effective, and accessible for students.
“Change is hard, but the posters aren’t going away. You’ll see them around campus,” said Stumpf.
