Web Technologies Group presents inquiry into potential CMS replacement

During both the Student Senate and Executive Board meetings this week, Web Technologies Group Chair Williams Chen ’27 presented an inquiry into the Rensselaer Union’s current Club Management System. Students on campus responsible for managing their clubs’ affairs are likely quite familiar and potentially frustrated with the current software. CMS is the main hub for Union membership, club directory, club finances, and club inventory. It is also linked to both Box and Sympa, which are used for club communications, documents, and mailing lists.

The Union’s current CMS is far from perfect. The Union website is difficult to navigate, not very informative, and contains major typos. The supposedly comprehensive club list is not up to date and needs to be manually edited, with the true list only existing on an Excel spreadsheet on one student worker’s laptop, according to Chen. The mailing list, run through Sympa, frequently fails to send important information, and clubs are unable to use the CMS to spread information and awareness about their upcoming events. There is also a lack of connection between the platforms used by the Institute and those used by the Union, which leads to miscommunication and a lack of streamlining in many processes.

During the inquiry, Web Tech explored three new softwares, Meridian, Localist, and Anthology Engage, that could take the place of CMS and potentially improve the functionality and integration of the platform with other systems utilized by the Union and the Institute.

The least favored choice by Web Tech was Meridian. Meridian is a system created by RPI students initially as a replacement for the Event Management System, the room-reserving server currently used by the Institute. The platform has evolved during its development and now includes features such as event postings for clubs and organizations, a functionality that CMS does not have. Meridian is set to beta launch this fall and quoted around $20,000 per year. Meridian is a new start up that is unreliable for the amount of money the Union would spend, leaving Chen and Web Tech with many reservations.

Localist, however, was a promising alternative to both Meridian and the current CMS system. The platform is mainly an events software, which would aid in event centralization, a goal of the Union in recent years. Localist also has a ticketing system that would track attendance and other analytics of students attending Union events. Though the company has yet to provide a quote, the implementation time was estimated to be around one to three months.

Anthology Engage was the preferred of the three options presented. The Institute currently utilizes Anthology’s Blackboard Learning Management System for its primary platform for course content organization. Engage, which is Anthology’s student engagement platform, has all of the features that the Union requires, including the current functionalities of CMS such as events, form management, elections,and finances. Additionally, other features could be added easily depending on the Union’s needs. The software comes along with an app for viewing and checking into events on campus. Because the Institute currently uses Blackboard LMS, Engage would come with a sizable discount. The current quoted price comes to $16,000, with an eight to twelve week set up. For added features, there is expected to be both an increase in both price and set up time. The easy integration of Engage with current softwares used by the Institute and the services offered by Engage made the system the most promising of the inquiry.

Chen had many reservations when it came to introducing any new system. While Web Tech continues to explore their options and discuss with companies, there remains the question of implementation and reception by the student body. Longstanding traditions of postering around campus might interfere with the installation of a new events software. Chen also expressed uncertainty about current Union staff being able to manage the integration.

In order to support the Union’s increased use of technology, Chen recommended hiring a director of technology to manage the system and other web programs in the Union. Currently, Union systems are managed by student workers. Chen cited two main issues with this current system: students’ primary responsibility is their coursework, meaning management of the Union systems may be left to the wayside, and as these students graduate and leave RPI, their knowledge of the systems leaves with them. However, hiring a director is unlikely to fit into the Union’s hiring cycle and budget, and the Union may not want to pay for it. Despite this, Chen advised that a director would be critical to a new management system’s implementation and smooth operation.

While the inquiry presentation left many questions unanswered and loose ends untied, it is clear that the Union’s current infrastructure surrounding club organization is less than adequate. It is evident that clubs require more functional and useful platforms to run effectively. Whether or not this improvement comes with the integration of a new system, more effective uses of the current CMS and servers, or the addition of a trained Union staff member, the Union must further pursue this inquiry and see these needs met.

This meeting took place on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. The Senate meets every Tuesday at 6 pm in the Shelnutt Gallery.