With the new APU Now app, students are able to engage in discussion and build strong communal connections simply through their phone
Recently, APU released a new app called APU Now. While the app is mainly intended for students, it can be used by a wide variety of community members, including faculty and staff. As long as the user has an APU NetID, they can use the app quite easily.
The app’s slogan is “Go ahead and join the conversation,” which in many ways embodies the goal of the app. Its main objective is to keep the APU community engaged through discussion that focuses on campus events and activities.
One of the more exciting components of the app is the interactive qualities that are available. It is a fully interactive app that allows users to develop the experience they want. Whether they mainly care about the athletics department and the robotics club, or if they want updates from social clubs such as the Black Student Association or the Pacific Islanders Organization, these options are available to the app’s users.
“The club feature in the app could definitely be a game changer,” said senior nursing major Brianna Fredrick. “It will eliminate the thousands of of group messages between clubs. It will also lead to a better knowledge of club events, instead of the flyers all around campus that unfortunately just end up on the floor. It will be a more personal experience for students.”
Along with updates from clubs, the app can also be used as a source to easily obtain information and details about up oncoming campus events. It provides details about campus life, which in return, stops users from having to do any additional research. Examples of these include chapel schedule, a list of campus events, parking information, office hours, a link to the ZU Media site, campus dining information, important academic dates and so on.
Although different, the APU Now app shares some of the same features as the APU Mobile app that has been available to students for several years.
One of the most noticeable features that is available through both platforms is the ability to search for classes. With registration beginning soon, students can use the APU Now app to look through the class options that are available to them and begin planning their schedule for next semester.
Both apps also have the Trolly Tracker feature on them, which aids students in planning for their commuting schedule between east and west campus.
Nevertheless, the apps are incredibly different. The APU Mobile app is meant to mimic the format of the school’s official home page, meaning users can see things such as chapel absences, tuition fees, academic requirements and so on. The APU Now app, on the other hand, is intended to strengthen the school’s already impressive community through conversation, whether that be in a professional setting or a humorous tone.
“It’s basically like a Twitter that was made for our campus,” said senior business major Cole Sojka. “You have a feed that you can go through where you can see posts from clubs but also really funny posts from accounts such as overmemedatapu, which is one of my personal favorites. It’s definitely a diverse social platform.”
It can also be used as a platform for APU students to publish their work. Along with being able to join groups, users can also build a following by finding new friends and engaging with them, similar to Facebook or Twitter. This in return allows users to be able to post written-out messages or other forms of content within the app that followers can see.
“We’re launching APU Now with the sole purpose of bringing the APU community together in a way that has never been done before,” said Dante Corvoda, one of the app’s developers. “The goal is to give students, faculty and staff from all departments, clubs and marginalized groups a space to engage with each other and build community.”
The app is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store and is free to download. The only way someone can use it, however, is having access to their personal APU account. Once signed in, users have complete freedom to build their own creative experience.