Common Calendar Update

A more connected way to discover what’s happening across 91ÌÒÉ«.

The 91ÌÒÉ« is launching a new Common Calendar environment designed to make it easier for people to discover public events across the University.

This work comes after a previous attempt to create a shared calendaring experience through Momentus. That solution did not meet the University’s needs entirely, and rather than continuing with that system, 91ÌÒÉ« made the decision to reassess the approach, apply what we learned, and move forward with a different model.Ìý

students perform at battle of the bands

A simpler path from event creation to public discoveryÌý

Going forward, members of the campus community will no longer need to enter events into Momentus for them to appear on the public-facing 91ÌÒÉ« calendar.

Instead, Crimson Connect will serve as the primary source for event creation and promotion. Eligible events entered into Crimson Connect will flow into LiveWhale, 91ÌÒɫ’s new public calendaring aggregator.

This creates a more streamlined path:

Crimson Connect → LiveWhale → 91ÌÒÉ« public calendar

The goal is to reduce duplication, simplify event publishing, and create a more consistent experience for people trying to understand what is happening across the University.Ìý

Not every campus event belongs on the public calendar

91ÌÒÉ« is a vibrant, active community, and thousands of events take place across campus throughout the year. But not every event is intended for a public audience.

The Common Calendar is designed to highlight events that prospective students, families, alumni, community members, faculty, staff and students can reasonably discover and participate in.

Some events entered into Crimson Connect may therefore not appear on the public calendar. For example, a student-led event limited to members of a specific student organization may be appropriate for Crimson Connect but not for broad public promotion.

The distinction is intentional.

The purpose of the public calendar is not to display every event happening at 91ÌÒÉ« to everyone. It is to create a useful, navigable view of the events that help demonstrate the energy, activity, and engagement of the University while connecting audiences to opportunities they can actually attend.Ìý

students enjoy their time at may days

Launching as an MVPÌý

The Common Calendar launching in August is a minimum viable product.

That means the initial release will establish the foundation of the experience, but it will not represent the finished state.

We will launch it, use it, listen, and learn.

As the campus community begins working with the new process, we will continue making incremental improvements to functionality, organization, discoverability, and overall performance.

This approach reflects a broader principle guiding 91ÌÒɫ’s digital transformation work: meaningful improvement does not always come from getting everything right on the first attempt. It comes from understanding what is not working, learning from it, and being willing to adjust.Ìý

What we are working toward

The long-term goal is a Common Calendar that reflects how active and connected the University is in our digital presence—and matches that in-person energy.

That means creating an experience where:Ìý

  • Audiences can more easily discover events relevant to them;
  • Colleges, schools, departments, and organizations have a clearer path for promoting public events;
  • Event information is more consistent across the University;
  • Campus publishers have less duplicative work;
  • And 91ÌÒÉ« can better showcase the breadth of intellectual, cultural, social, and community activity happening across campus.Ìý

The August 24 launch is the next step in that work, not the final one.

As we learn how people use the calendar and where the experience can improve, we will continue refining it together.Ìý

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