The soft launch of a system that will enhance student organizations’ ability to communicate with the campus is underway in Student Association.

Collegiate Link, a $22,000 software purchased and renamed Huskie Link by SA, will provide a student organization database as early as the spring semester. The database will contain event schedules, organizations’ constitutions and rosters that can be updated. Groups will also be able to reserve space, advertise for events and speak to one another and the student body through the program, said Jill Zambito, director of Student Involvement and Leadership Development.

“This is a huge win for students because currently the system is such that the student have to go on a wild goose chase around campus,” Zambito said. “For years, we’ve wanted to change that system … . This hopefully will eliminate some of those steps.”

SA is testing the system and learning about its features, said Joe Palmer, SA director of Public Affairs. One feature that may be applied is online voting for SA and other student organizations.

“One thing we’ve noticed with voter turnout is the more students know, the more likely they are to vote,” Palmer said. “Which sounds simple, but the reality behind that is a lot of students aren’t voting because they don’t know what they’re voting for … . And so with online voting, what we can do is have all that information available while they are voting.”

All student organizations will be able to use Huskie Link when it launches, Zambito said. Forensics Team Director Lisa Roth said the system will improve the group’s ability to stay informed and grow.

“I think that we could use it for our current members to know about all the different activities going on,” Roth said. “And it would be a great way for our public relations representative to help recruit new members.”

Until the system’s full launch, Zambito said she encourages interested groups to contact Student Involvement and Leadership Development at 815-753-1421 for more information.

Huskie Link “will really provide us with opportunities to communicate and gather information in ways that we’ve never been able to in the past,” Zambito said. “So we are elated that the system is here and that the SA made this investment in student groups.”