Parties, events and BBQ notifications.’

Last August, Decelian created the Facebook page ‘Syracuse University House Parties-Notifications’ to inform students about various parties occurring on campus. Since then,the page has amassed nearly 4,450 followers. In addition to receiving notifications and event invitations featured on that page, followers can post events they hear about.

‘Everyone’s always sending out a mass text saying,‘The party’s here, the party’s there.’ Why not have a place where you can post your parties and everyone can see where the parties are at,’ Decelian said.

Because the ‘Syracuse University House Parties-Notifications’ page currently has thousands following it, people no longer on campus would receive notifications about summer events if he sent messages through that site. This prompted Decelian to create the separate summer events page.

Though the summer events page is a supplement to the main page, Decelian believes both pages have the potential to grow. He realized this when MTV got in touch with him and asked him to help organize a party on the SU campus for its new reality television show, ‘Study Break,’ due out next fall.

‘This was just a hobby thing, it just started getting serious these past few days with MTV calling me,’ he said.

Just like he did for the summer events page, Decelian set up an events page through the ‘Syracuse University House Parties-Notifications’ group and invited those already a part of it. Hosted by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity,the party took place May 7 at 313 Euclid Ave. Those who responded to the event received the location of the party that day at 2 p.m. for the outdoor party, which began at 4 p.m.

Encouraged by his success and watching the Facebook page expand, Decelian decided to take this hobby to the next level by creating a website, CollegePartyUniversity.com. Though the website is still under construction, Decelian utilizes various means of social media, such as Twitter and blogging, to keep people informed and interested.

Dreher Chapman, a sophomore engineering major who will live on Euclid Avenue this summer, said the two separate pages are a good idea because they’ll cater to a small group of students whose friends have left or to those new to campus.

‘There was never a time this year where I went to a party the page told me about,’ Chapman said.  ‘But I feel like over the summer, it would be more effective because there’s less people here, but more people are trying to find something to do.’

So far, the summer events page has 275 people attending as of Wednesday, and Decelian said he believes that number will grow after finals and the commencement ceremony end.

Though Chapman believes the summer page has potential, he says he doubts the group will have a profound effect on the social scene this summer.  As one-half of DJ duo The Cloud Club, which often plays at fraternity and house parties, Chapman does not anticipate as many chances to perform as he does during the year and is instead seeking a more consistent job at local sports bar DJ’s on the Hill. 

However,Decelian said the page isn’tjust for nighttime parties and will generate information on daytime events, such as barbecues, or help connect students with others who want to hangout.

He expects the page and his upcoming website to eventually serve as a social networking device that will create a close-knit community on campus.

‘People will be able to talk, make new friends and find out where the parties are at,’ Decelian said. ‘That’s the whole objective of this website and this page I’m trying to build— building a community.’

dmodiama@syr.edu

Published on May 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm