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Through VPLU, students can communicate and form relationships. Since only PLU students are on the site, it is probable that students who meet in the virtual setting can become friends in the real world. Receiving social support is important, as university life can be a struggle for some students. According to the American College Health Association 2017 survey, 64 percent of college students (nearly 48,000) reported feeling “very lonely” in the past year, while 62 percent of students reported feeling “overwhelming anxiety” and 69 percent students reported feeling “very sad” (artandhealing.org).

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Anxiety and depression are significant issues on a college campus; the number of students from 18-26-years-old who reported receiving help through a diagnosis or treatment for anxiety disorder has increased from 10 percent in 2008 to 20 percent in 2018 (Kane & UC Berkeley, 2019). Anxiety among college students is an epidemic according to Richard Scheffler, a professor at UC Berkeley, who stated: "We have a new epidemic on college campuses. Our numbers show that (the number of) students being treated or diagnosed for an anxiety disorder has doubled nationally in the last eight years” (Asimov, 2019). 

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Additionally, 2013 report from the ACHA indicated that 30-45 percent of university students reported a mental health concern in the past year, as acknowledged in PLU's Healthy Lutes April 25 email (Dent & Yant, 2019). Additionally, ACHA estimated that the education of nearly 4.3 million students was disrupted because of a mental health concern. As VPLU offers social support, it can become a source of comfort. 

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VPLU is built upon the Entertainment-Education (E-E) communications strategy, as VPLU aims to provide both entertainment and learning opportunities. E-E is defined as “the intentional placement of educational content in entertainment messages” aimed at creating a change (Singhal & Rogers, 117). As a strategy, E-E is implemented to entertainment as well as educate audiences on a certain topic, with the hope this will lead audiences to “live a happy, safe and value-filled life” (communicationtheory.org). E-E doesn’t tell the audience what to do - they simply model it (Connolly, Elmore & Ryerson, 2008). 

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In VPLU, learning opportunities are promoted through the Lute Academic Meeting Space. Students can learn together while working on a group project, and benefit from the convenience of real-time communication as students can send instant chat messages. Student can also conveniently receive tutoring from the comfort of home.

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Besides social support, VPLU provides students with an opportunity to learn in a different setting by meeting with their peers. It gives them another tool to learn the curriculum they need to be successful. As VPLU is an online platform, users can log in and interact with others on a 24/7 basis. For students working on a group project, the team members can use VPLU as a way to communicate online at any time which is convenient. Virtual group meetings are not a substitute for meeting in person. Rather, it's about offering a convenient option. 

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There are multiple openings for students to assist with the creation and maintenance of VPLU. For example, VPLU needs a dedicated group of students to monitor VPLU, to assure it is a healthy space for students to connect. These VPLU student leaders would need to respond to messages from students in VPLU, and be trained to respond to conflict situations in VPLU. Even more, these students could lead virtual events. Student tutors could also utilize their knowledge to assistant students in VPLU, specifically in the Academic Meeting Space.

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In VPLU, students can stay updated with recent campus news, including upcoming events, study programs, club meetings, performances, and employment opportunities. On the PLU campus, there are many outlets for information such as bulletin boards, tabling events, and screens). Additionally, myriad emails are sent out to students. Yet, some students may find it challenging to stay updated, and may not have a chance to comprehend the information. VPLU offers a way for students to view information... all in one place. 

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With the myriad opportunities for students to become involved on the PLU campus, it is clearly important to promote these opportunities. A virtual online world can offer a unique way to promote information in a rather unconventional way. Perhaps once PLU students are reminded of this information through VPLU, they might decide to participate in a campus opportunity.