There’s a new events publication on campus.
    
Volunteer Vine, more commonly known as The Vine, was started by UT students for UT students in November 2011 and is growing in full force.
    
“The Vine is a one-stop shop for all things Knoxville,” Ava Gunter, senior in marketing and The Vine’s managing editor, said.
    
Gunter and Brandon Swinford, marketing director for The Vine, had the idea for a website where students could find out about events not only on campus, but also around Knoxville.
    
“We noticed people were just stuck in the Fort and going to the same parties without any idea about what was happening outside of the Fort,” Swinford, junior in psychology, said. “We wanted a way to encourage people to get plugged into more holism, varied activities, like going outside and experiencing the Knoxville community.”
   
 “(The Vine’s mission is) to promote an active lifestyle across UT’s campus and contribute to the well-being of the community,” Gunter said. “Overall, to increase the happiness of our readers.”
    
“We’ve found that the best way to follow our mission is to practice what we preach, to get out and do things on and off campus, all around Knoxville, that we think are cool and make us happy,” Swinford said.
    
Gunter and Swinford approached students Andy Pigg, Dan Hood and Bob Boyd, and asked for help with the start-up, format and innovative ideas for The Vine.
   
 “We wanted something simple and unique in its own right,” Swinford said. “It was hard trying to come up with something people haven’t seen before.”
    
The Vine is updated daily and weekly with upcoming events and pictures. Gunter, Swinford and the student staff search the Internet for Knoxville events. Every event posting has a brief description with all the necessary information including where the event is taking place, when and how much it costs.
    
The Vine staff acts as the middleman between the many different campus organizations, Knoxville publications and UT students. The staff sorts through many different websites specific to Knoxville. They make their way around Knoxville and UT to seek out exciting and enticing events for students to know about.
    
“Whenever I see a poster for a concert, art show or cultural event, no matter where it is, I snap a picture of it with my smart phone and post it to the website, www.volunteervine.com, and to our Twitter page, @volunteervine,” Swinford said.
    
Every Monday, The Vine features a picture magazine online that shows what students did the previous week.
    
The Vine staff hopes to create something good and build community to make UT a better, more involved and connected school. With the use of smart phones and all the modern mobile technology, connection to The Vine is fast and easy.
   
 “Everyone can be involved,” Gunter said. “We talk to people who are already involved in specific things, like The Knoxville Bike Collective, an off-campus organization, and the International House, an on-campus organization.”
    
Swinford reasserted the openness of the Vine organization.
    
“The more people engaged and interacting with the website, the better it will be,” Swinford said. “The Vine is for everyone. There is a big focus on outdoor events, like trips the UT Outdoor program offers and other outdoor happenings, local bands and businesses.”
    
If you have any suggestions for events, e-mail events@volunteervine.com. If you want to be a permanent event contributor, e-mail info@volunteervine.com. And if you have a picture you want to share with the community, e-mail photos@volunteervine.com.