Rockbot Brings Student-Controlled Music to Campus
- Harrison Soep
- Oct 10
- 2 min read
It's lunchtime at the dining hall and immediately you hear, “In the End”, by Linkin Park chosen by not a DJ, but a student using an app to play music. That app is called Rockbot.
Rockbot is a music app that lets users request and vote on songs. It is available through Boomer's and the dining hall, giving students a platform to showcase their music taste around campus. However, the app does have limitations. You cannot pick explicit songs/artists, which keeps the music appropriate for a campus setting.
Here’s how it works: students can download the Rockbot app, then connect to the location they’re in such as Boomer's or the dining hall. They then browse through a list of approved artist/songs. They click the song they would like and then it is added to the queue. On the home screen you can vote on songs others have chosen. The more votes one song gets the sooner it plays.
The idea started from Raina Ittner who is the Program Coordinator for Student Activities and Leadership Development campus center (SALD). She had used it during her time at Endicott, and it got great feedback. She mentioned, “It was a good way to bring students into what's being played on campus.”
This change did come at a cost because before Rockbot, the dining hall played Power88’s music, Dean College’s radio station. Ittner said, “After hearing feedback from students about the different music playing in public areas of campus, we determined that students were looking to select the music. Rockbot allows students to directly request songs depending on their mood or genre they are feeling in that specific moment.”
Students have mixed feelings about Rockbot's presence on campus. “I think it’s a lighthearted and fun addition to the dining hall and to Boomer’s. However, the fact that there are non-explicit songs being blocked for being explicit or ‘exceeding the lyric rating’ needs to be addressed. A good addition overall, though.” Says Senior Sam Smith.
“It's ok it's not really my favorite. I think some of the song choices are a little too limited,” says senior Violet Smith. “You can’t pick One Direction for some reason.”
Overall, Rockbot has become a small, yet noticeable part of Dean College campus life. It gives students a chance to play their music, whether that's the start of the day or their last meal of the day. It makes everyday moments connected through music.
Raina noted there are future plans in the works. “We are currently working to do audio messaging with the music. This will provide the campus community the opportunity to advertise events and messages on campus that are approved, rather than just social media or posters on campus,” she stated.
