By Sydnie Harrell ’24, Office of Undergraduate Studies at Texas A&M University
Students wanting to get involved with clubs and programs at Texas A&M University have a plethora of options to choose from. While learning about the wide variety of opportunities may feel exciting at first, the process of looking through informational emails and trying to keep up with multiple events and deadlines can seem daunting.
MaroonBase is an online guide and app designed to make getting involved at Texas A&M easy and fun. Through the app, students can find upcoming activities, earn points for attending them and enter prize drawings throughout the academic year.
“MaroonBase is made of two parts—the Resource Guide and the app,” LAUNCH Assistant Director Emily Finbow said. “Both the guide and the app provide a list of student engagement activities on campus and in the Bryan-College Station area, but the app is what gives students the chance to win prizes.”
How it Works
Students earn points with MaroonBase by attending events listed on the app’s homepage. When students arrive at the event, they open the MaroonBase app, select the event, tap the ‘check-in’ button and earn points.
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“There is a wide variety of events on the app, including student organization meetings, gallery exhibits and virtual presentations,” Finbow said. “Every event on the app has details about the location, category, theme and the users that can attend”
Each activity’s point value is determined by factors like when it’s available to students, the content, length and the expected commitment. Typically, one hour’s worth of activity equals 100 MaroonBase points.
“MaroonBase gives students the chance to earn rewards for ways they are already contributing to the TAMU community and engaging with existing opportunities around campus,” Finbow said. “They can earn points for participating in things like Student Research Week, the Big Event, Midnight Yell, and for attending activities with student orgs they belong to.”
As students collect points, they can see how their totals compare to other users on the app’s leaderboard and earn entries in the prize drawings. For every 200 points earned, students get one entry into the monthly drawing. At the end of the academic year, the top three point-earners win a grand prize.
“The prizes vary each semester,” Finbow said. “In the past, we’ve given away photography sessions, gym memberships, gift cards, products from Aggie-owned businesses and cash. Raising Cane’s made a generous donation for April—one student will win free Cane’s for a year. All points a student accrues during the year will go toward that drawing”
Past Winners
“I think it’s really cool to win a MaroonBase drawing,” Turner said. “I was rewarded for attending events and being involved on campus. It’s a great way to see a concise list of opportunities to connect with people.”
Chemical engineering major Noa Raymond ’24 downloaded MaroonBase in the spring of 2022. Raymond used the app to compete for prizes and earn points for events she was already planning to attend, like the Physics and Engineering Festival. She won $500 in the April 2022 drawing.
“Winning the five hundred dollars helped to alleviate financial burdens from earlier in the semester,” Raymond said. “Going around collecting the points is fun, and who doesn’t like to win stuff?”
The MaroonBase app is available for iOS and Android users. Students can find additional information about the app and resource guide here and on Instagram @tamu_maroonbase.
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Media contact: Anna Lister, annalister@tamu.edu