In student affairs, we take great care in listening to student needs and strategically finding ways to address them. As such, when students expressed the need for a central tool to find out what is happening on campus, the Division of Student Affairs took on the task of identifying and implementing a new student involvement portal, Redbird Life.
Redbird Life serves as a primary resource for students looking to get involved on campus, explore student organizations, and find campus events. Specific features include a searchable database of organizations and events, a promotional newsfeed, and the ability for students to track their involvement.
“The Redbird Life portal is going to (make) getting involved on campus so much easier! Being able to search for organizations by interest, see what they’re all about, find out about their events, and contact them all from one website is a game changer.” -Delia Sargeant, senior
“The Redbird Life portal is a great way to directly connect students to student organizations and departments that fit their interests, academics, and careers. This is important, especially for new students, in order to assist in navigating campus resources and learning how to build their new Redbird community,” said Amy Miller, specialist in the Dean of Students Office.
Planning for Redbird Life took place throughout the 2018–2019 academic year, led by an implementation team with representation across the division. Student Affairs Information Technology (SAIT) was integral in both securing the contract for the portal, as well as providing the technological support required for such a complex project. Additionally, content experts from the Dean of Students Office, Campus Recreation, the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, University Housing Services, and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs contributed their knowledge and support in order to ensure that the portal would be an effective tool for students.
The implementation team planned a soft launch of the portal in spring 2019, with Registered Student Organizations (RSO’s) building their profiles during their annual re-registration process. The official launch occurred during the summer Preview program, where over 3,500 new students were introduced to the portal. Redbird Life was promoted to returning students during this year’s Festival ISU on Thursday, August 29.
“The Redbird Life portal is going to (make) getting involved on campus so much easier! Being able to search for organizations by interest, see what they’re all about, find out about their events, and contact them all from one website is a game-changer,” said Illinois State senior Delia Sargeant.
To explore student organizations and events on campus, visit RedbirdLife.IllinoisState.edu and log in using your ULID and password. You can also access and save your event pass, which will be used to check in to many campus events.
