Happenings user guide

Events displayed in this calendar are visible to anyone. Login is not required to view events or save them to your personal calendar. However, if you choose to log in, the calendar offers an array of additional features to help you follow events of interest by setting up reminders or sharing upcoming events with your friends on your Facebook wall. 

Authorized contributors from any university unit, department or group can post events. Log in with your WUSTL Key to register as an event contributor and start adding events. 

Yes, once an event contributor creates a new event, it will go in a pending events queue before it is published. Please allow two business days for approval. MarComm staff will review all submissions for: 

• Appropriate content: Is it a university event? Is it open to the community? Is it sponsored by a school, department, center or group? 
• Completeness and accuracy: no placeholder content; clarity; follows WashU Style Guide; no spelling or grammatical errors; appropriate selections for filters, departments. 

MarComm staff will not review the entry for conflicts with other events or room availability. Events that do not pass the initial review process will be sent back to the event contributor with a detailed explanation for why it was rejected. If the event qualifies as a university event but is not complete or accurate, the event contributor may correct and resubmit the event. Any time event information is edited, the event will go back to the pending queue for review. 

Once approved, typically within two business days, MarComm staff will publish the new event and the event contributor will receive a notification. MarComm may also promote the event on the calendar homepage or on other appropriate channels and filters. 

To begin the process, go to http://happenings.wustl.edu/ and click on “Log In” in the top right corner of the page. Select the “Login with WUSTL Key” option to be taken to a WUSTL Key login screen.

After successfully logging in, click on the “Submit an Event” button to display the submission form. Enter as much information as you can and click “Add Event.” After your event has been reviewed by MarComm staff, you will receive an email when the event is published on the calendar. 

An event contributor can make edits at any time using the Edit Event button. However, if edits are saved, the event will be removed from the public calendar and go back to the pending queue until it has been reviewed and approved by MarComm staff again. 

If an event is canceled, instead of deleting the event, enter “CANCELED” before the event title and also in the place field. The system will email interested users any time the date or location is updated, so editing the place field will make the cancellation more visible. In addition, please email recordcalendar@wustl.edu to notify the calendar administrator. 

If you need to delete an event, click on “Edit Event” and “Delete Event” at the bottom of the form. 

• Event title 
• Description 
• Start date 
• Contact (name and phone or email address) 

By default events are set to never repeat, but you have options to create complex schedules for events that repeat. For any event that happens more than once (e.g. a conference or exhibit that occurs over multiple days), select from the available schedule options under “Repeating.” By selecting “Overwrite scheduled dates,” you have flexibility to display dates and times as needed for more complex events. 

MarComm staff will determine the appropriate keywords and tags for each event. To suggest keywords, email recordcalendar@wustl.edu. 

Most departments or groups that host more than 10 events per year or require a widget will already be in the system. To request any edits/additions, please email recordcalendar@wustl.edu. Users will then have the option to follow and subscribe to notifications about events hosted by your department or group. 

For those browsing the calendar, an event title may be the only thing they read about your event. Keep it short and clear; we recommend fewer than 70 characters. Avoid long, descriptive titles. Use impactful words to capture readers’ attention. 

Keep event descriptions brief – no more than 150 words. Use clear and concise language that is understandable by a general audience. Check for spelling or grammatical errors. Additional details about your event can be provided on an external website (please enter the URL in the relevant field) 

When possible, use a pre-configured location. Simply start typing the name of a building and select from the suggested entries. If not held at a preconfigured location, you will need to enter a new location and address. 

Please provide the speaker’s name, title/affiliation and, if available, URL to a short bio in the “Speaker Information” field. For speakers with multiple affiliations, list only the primary or most relevant ones. Use bullets to enter multiple speakers. 

Adding filters will aid those browsing the calendar by type, interest, school or department in finding your event. Please select all that apply from each Filter Family. Make sure to specify both the correct sponsoring department and school hosting the event. Where relevant, select multiple co-sponsoring units. If a sponsoring organization does not appear in the list, please include the information in the description field.

To designate an event to be featured on the Assembly Series, the authorized communication leads must select “Assembly Series” from the dropdown option for “Group” under Filters. 

Photos should be relevant to the event and not protected by copyright. If a unique photo is not available for a particular event, you may choose from a library of existing images or a fallback image associated with your school or group may be assigned to ensure that events do not appear on the calendar without a photo. We recommend using photos with landscape (horizontal) orientation at 700 (w) x 525 (h) pixels. 

You may list named or endowed lectures in the “Event Title” field, followed by a colon and the specific event title.

Example: Holocaust Memorial Lecture: The Greatest Outrage of the Century. 

For any events that require a ticket or registration, please enter details and provide an external URL in the description field. 

University events featured in this calendar include (but are not limited to): academic events, lectures, presentations, conferences, panels, meetings, major community events, concerts and performing arts, exhibits, athletic and social events that are open to the public. 

You can browse the general list of upcoming events; view featured events at the top of the landing page; explore Assembly Series and academic events on their dedicated channels; apply filters to sort events by type, interest, school or department; or search for a specific event by date or keyword using “Find events.” 

Yes, as long as a WashU unit or group sponsors it. 

Yes, if your event is open to others in the community and meets the calendar guidelines, it can be posted on this platform. However, WUGO remains the go-to place for student group events. 

Decisions about Assembly Series events are made by the designated school/universitywide center communication leads, based on a set of criteria. For more information, see the Assembly Series guidelines above (under “Event promotion”). To designate an event to be featured on the Assembly Series, the authorized communication leads must select “Assembly Series” from the dropdown option for “Group” under Filters. For questions related to Assembly Series events, email assemblyseries@wustl.edu. 

No school/department is required to use Happenings at WashU. Any WashU unit may opt in to use it. Other calendars are listed here. 

No, this calendar is not a scheduling or room reservation tool. It is a promotional system that gives greater visibility to WashU happenings that already have confirmed locations and details. You will need to use a room reservation system to reserve space for your event before promoting it on this calendar. 

Read Localist’s support documentation online.

Still have questions? Contact MarComm staff at recordcalendar@wustl.edu.