This year’s Campus Fest will operate differently than in previous years. Instead of an all-day event, organizers have worked to transition Campus Fest into a virtual format over the course of four days, starting Sept. 7.

“Campus Fest is a very fun day … I have a folder of about seven plans of trying to do it in person … but it just wasn’t in the cards this year,” the Associate Dean of Students for Campus Activities Brian Heilmeier said.

Despite not having in-person interactions, student organizations will still have the opportunity to pitch themselves to potential members through a 30-60 second informational video.

“Our plan is to work with Marketing and Communications to get those put on YouTube and then have a website … with a link to the (organization’s) presence page,” Heilmeier said.

To take a more personal approach as well, Heilmeier explained students will be given an individualized experience through GetConnected sessions.

Individuals will have the chance to log into these sessions through Zoom and discuss their interests with orientation members, who can then inform them on ways to get involved.

“You gotta be your biggest advocate … you all are your biggest advertisements. From an environmental standpoint, it’s not that much different. One-on-one conversations are still one-on-one conversations,” Heilmeier said. 

“And while we might not be able to hold … the big flashy events … the bulk of student groups is weekly meetings … and a lot of those meetings can still take place.”