Imagine a social networking site geared specifically toward college students where students can find out about events happening on campus. In just a few weeks, that site will become a reality.

University Primetime, founded in September 2013, plans to relaunch its website as a social network March 24. What sets the website apart from other social networks is that it is solely for use by college students.

Jason Olephant, the 23-year-old CEO and founder of University Primetime, said the goal of the site is to connect college students both within their own campus and with other universities across the nation.

“It’s changing the way college students interact,” Olephant said.

Olephant said University Primetime is unlike any other existing social networking site because its focus is on connecting students at their university. Members will be able to see upcoming events, post photos, chat, message their friends and learn about organizations in their community.

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Users will only be able to create an account by using their .edu email, ensuring that only college students can use the website. This rule is meant to create a safe environment for students to connect and share their ideas and experiences.

“This is a site made by college students for college students,” Olephant said. “It’s a sense of freedom. The goal is for the site to be somewhere where college students can feel comfortable connecting with their classmates.”

Organizations or individuals on campus will be able to post upcoming events on the site, and members of The University of Alabama community will then be able to RSVP for the event and see what events are trending in their area. Furthermore, any event made by users can either be made private to friends or public to the whole community.

Users will be able to filter these events according to their interests. The site will allow users to see the total number of students attending an event and a breakdown of people going by male-to-female ratio. Olephant said this will ensure that users will always know what will be going on around campus.

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“This is the way to get your events out there,” Olephant said.

Karli Guyther, a junior majoring in public relations and University Primetime student ambassador, said the goal of the website is to be the biggest college social media site in the world. But for this to happen students have to sign up.

“We want to offer a website that allows college students to connect with everyone on their campus and more easily be able to figure out what’s happening on their campus and in the rest of the nation,” Guyther said.

In addition to the networking between students, local businesses will be able to post promotions on the site to make users aware of upcoming deals and sales in their area. Users will be able to filter these posts in order of what is most important to them.

“You’re going to be able to see what’s trending at your university,” Olephant said.

Katie Winters, a junior majoring in public relations and another student ambassador, said University Primetime is especially important at a school as large as The University of Alabama.

“With a campus the size of ours, it is important to have a way to get your events noticed,” Winters said.

After the upcoming relaunch of the site, University Primetime is set to have full function and a mobile app by the Fall 2014. For more information, follow University Primetime on Twitter and Instagram at @UPrimetime.

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