By: Leah Wilkinson
If you want to know what to do at BU you can read “Stuff to do at BU,” the biweekly student newsletter that has replaced the weekday newsletter “The Daily Knight.”
Although this may seem like a simple shift, students are taking notice of the new format. “I skim it, but I definitely prefer ‘The Daily Knight,’” junior Eli Lonneman said. “I think [the emails] should go back to once a day.”
Other than being sent out twice per week, the format of “Stuff to do at BU” isn’t all that different from “The Daily Knight.”
Infographics are displayed first, then events (listed by day and in chronological order) and announcements are each organized by bullet points, so students can easily find what they’re looking for without necessarily having to look through the entire newsletter.
Bryan Hamann, assistant director of student activities, said a change was definitely needed.
“We got some feedback from students last spring that said they felt like ‘The Daily Knight’ was becoming spam and that they were just getting tons and tons of emails about it, and even our readership was showing that there was like 20% of people who even opened it.”
Sophomore Sasha Belinova said she read “The Daily Knight” occasionally and also prefers the biweekly dose of “Stuff to do at BU.”
“I don’t like getting bombarded with messages,” she said.
Hamann said the Student Activities Center (SAC) worked with SGA to come up with a solution so students wouldn’t feel as if they were receiving spam.
Based on numbers showing when people were most frequently on their Bellarmine email accounts, the SAC determined the two best days to send out the redesigned newsletter.
“We came up with Sundays and Thursdays, with Thursdays leading into the weekend and then Sunday because [students are] preparing for the week,” he said.
Junior Lillie Gordon said she prefers “Stuff to do at BU.”
“I just skim it, but I like it because activities are clearly presented and it effectively gets the point across in a quick read,” she said.
Hamann said there’s a chance of a third “Stuff to do at BU” showing up in students’ inboxes (possibly on Tuesdays) during weeks in busier weeks in the semester. “When there are not a ton of events and stuff, that doesn’t necessarily make as much sense,” he said.
Senior Emmanuel Fasipe misses “The Daily Knight,” saying he read it more than he does “Stuff to do at BU.”
“I don’t really like the title ‘Stuff to do at BU’ and how it’s only certain things happening on campus,” Fasipe said. “I think it gives unfair prevalence to some events while largely ignoring others.”
The issue Fasipe mentioned might have something to do with the new schedule. He said he knew someone who tried to get an event advertised, but the person discovered the information wouldn’t be published in time due to the newsletter being sent out biweekly.
This is an adjustment those submitting events or announcements will need to keep in mind.
For instance, students looking to advertise an event that is going to be happening on a Friday evening must submit the information for the event to Engage by the end of the workday on Wednesday.
Lonneman said she thinks the biweekly format is too much information at once.
“On Sunday night, I am not as focused on what is happening on Tuesday yet. I really only read for Monday,” Lonneman said.
Hamann said it’s too early to tell how students feel about the shift from “The Daily Knight,” but he does believe “Stuff to do at BU” is a more effective method to reach students.
“I think students are happy they don’t have as many emails in their inbox,” he said.
Hamann said the SAC is also planning to gauge interest in the new format by surveying students later in the semester. But for now, students can enjoy slightly less cluttered inboxes.
“I like how it’s just an overall look at the important things going on in the week,” Gordon said. “It’s very straight to the point with how it’s structured.”
“Stuff to do at BU” is similar enough to “The Daily Knight” that it shouldn’t be a huge adjustment for most returning students, regardless if they have differing opinions on the new format.
“Overall, our readership is up, which is good,” Hamann said.
The submission process has not changed, so those submitting may already be familiar with the format. Simply go to https://engage.bellarmine.edu/ and scroll down to find the “‘Stuff to do at BU’ Announcement Submissions” tab on the bottom right under “Campus Links.”