Niche ranks UCLA as the top school in California for student life, as each day on campus, students are met with countless fundraisers, pop-ups, events and activities to enjoy. While there are abundant opportunities available on UCLA’s 419-acre campus, logistical difficulties exist among organizations that are responsible for hosting these events and students looking for them.

According to College Express, students who are looking for happenings on campus should check student emails and social media often. These outlets help students stay up to date on clubs and activities that interest them. Bruins could also rely on their student union or other community members to update them on when things are going on.

UCLA has many organizations that aim to entertain and engage the student body. The Campus Events Commission, the Student Organizations, Leadership, and Engagement team, and the UCLA Events Office all work to provide events on campus for students.

“We work very closely with SOLE,” said Events Office Director Chansoth Hill in an emailed statement. “We will require the SOLE Advisor to authorize the event before we schedule a registered campus organization event. … If we work with CEC, it would be in the same capacity as other student organizations, that is, as logistical coordinators.”

The CEC is a division of the Undergraduate Students Association Council that plans free student events such as Bruin Bash, guest speakers and film screenings.

Mason Miller is a fourth-year sociology student and the CEC commissioner. He said planning events requires looking at topics or people that are popular online, searching through databases for agencies or labels to reach out to, and finally reaching out through public relations teams.

There is some flexibility to the guests CEC invites to headline its events. Although the CEC is funded through USAC, they typically have free reign on what type of events they can put on, Miller said. The only restriction is that they cannot ask for a person whose presence could be offensive to a group or someone that many students wouldn’t enjoy.

However, financial constraints exist for organizing bodies. Miller said the CEC’s budget has not increased in the past few years, which can affect what type of events can be put on. Despite potential budget constraints, they still plan student-centered functions, aiming for high attendance and positive reception.

SOLE additionally advises campus organizations on topics ranging from registration, fundraising and leadership development. They also approve the time and location for club and organization activities.

On a larger scale, the Events Office plans, schedules and facilitates the coordination of events for the entire UCLA community. Planning priority goes to annual well-known institutional events, such as Bruin Family Weekend and commencement ceremonies, Hill said.

For Bruins who want to stay up to date with these events planned by CEC, SOLE and the Events Office, they can access the daily-updated calendars on the UCLA Community website.

Registered Campus Organizations – which are groups that UCLA officially recognizes – can utilize SOLE’s reservation process to be featured on their calendars. Organization signatories and SOLE advisors work together to reserve spaces from venues managed by the Events Office, ASUCLA or UCLA Recreation.

Fourth-year anthropology and art student Ming Chen co-founded a weekly independent reading club called Behind Powell two years ago that is now an RCO. Chen said the club is open to new members year-round and aims to provide space for relaxation for old and new members alike.

However, especially for smaller clubs, if information about relevant events is not widely spread through social media or visible on campus, other Bruins may miss out on these opportunities.

Overall, Chen said while they don’t prioritize attendance, Behind Powell’s status as a smaller club created inconveniences with its meeting place. Members have had to adjust where they meet each week, as they didn’t get priority for a stable location amid the continued Powell Library construction.

For Bruins looking to expand their reach for clubs, social media may be a useful outlet. According to Forbes, social media is a powerful tool for advertising events and gaining membership. It helps clubs hyper-target people and build an audience, which can lead to higher attendance and increased budget.

Similarly, the CEC has worked to increase its popularity through social media, but unlike Behind Powell, its established campus presence also contributes to the success of its events.

“We’re lucky that we’ve been around so long, so we have a larger campus presence and a larger following,” Miller said. “Also, the fact that we’re a part of USAC puts our name out there more than other SOLE organizations and clubs.”

Miller, who has previously worked on their online marketing team, said CEC starts advertising an event early on, then watches traction and adjusts its marketing strategies based on user feedback. From his experience, the earlier the news is put out, the better the reception will be.

Chen said Behind Powell’s main outreach platform is Instagram, but they tried physical posters with limited success. Since then, the club has been using Instagram to advertise for one year in the same way that the CEC has been for 11 years.

Chen also added how Bruins rely on social media, as she has felt left out of the loop when off of social platforms.

“I went off Instagram for a while at the beginning of this quarter, and I had no idea what was going on, ever,” Chen said. “I was like, ‘Why does it feel like my social life is non-existent without social media?’”

As a fourth-year, Chen said they have also learned about upcoming events by walking around campus and learning about them through word of mouth.

An article from the Public Ad Agency ranked the most effective advertising methods and found that social media and online marketing such as emails are the most effective. The unique environment of college campuses, where so many young people are discovering themselves and starting new life chapters, becomes a prime place to advertise.

Hill also said the Events Office coordinates the most events from students, its target audience.

“Our schedulers spend, by far, most of their time working with student groups rather than with departments and external groups,” Hill said.

As a whole, campus organizations and groups are always doing more to improve their activities and attendance. Miller said the CEC is trying to work with on-campus organizations more this year to make more appealing events for Bruins. Overall, their priority is creating appealing, accessible events for the whole student body.

“We try to make sure that as many students can attend as possible,” Miller said. “Part of that is making sure as many students want to attend as possible.”