Seton Hall has raided social media sites in search of students with Pirate pride.
Photos of students at school events showing spirit are gathered and posted on the school's website, Facebook and Instagram pages. The person with best picture each week receives a Pirate magnet, according to Director of Web and Digital Communications Michael Hyland.
"Not only students, but all SHU community members have been participating," Hyland said.
He said this program, which started in early March, encourages students to share photos of campus activities with the hashtag, "HallPhotos" on Instagram and Twitter.
On average, there are around a dozen photos submitted weekly, according to Hyland.
"I haven't heard of any magnet winners yet," freshman Ellen Racobs said.
Other students were also unaware of the program.
"I didn't even know (the University) had an Instagram," freshman Alex Young said.
Seton Hall has official pages on both on Instagram and Facebook. Clubs and activities also have social media, accounts that keep students involved in a place where they spend most of their time: online.
"I think that it's going to encourage more photos on Seton Hall social media, which is good because people like pictures better than words," Racobs said.
Freshman Jasmine Valentine said she agrees that online social media sites are an easy way to get involved.
"I think that this program is a great step towards Seton Hall immersing itself into the social media world where a large percentage of our student body spends their free time," Valentine said.
Freshman Tyler Greco said he would prefer to receive rewards for school spirit in other mediums besides online.
"I don't have an Instagram, camera or a phone with a camera, so it's hard to do something like that," Greco said. "It doesn't really seem interesting to me."
A spotlight page is in the works to display the most spirited photos, but for now they are accessible through the "HallPhotos hashtag," according to Hyland.
Mary Marshall can be reached at mary.marshall@student.shu.edu.
