Group to redesign Web site
to reflect 'vibrancy* of UO
Members of the taskforce would like the site to appeal
to various groups of people, such as potential students
BY EVA SYLWESTER
NEWS REPORTER
Visitors to the University’s Web
site within the next few months will
find changes to its layout as a task
force works to make the site easier
to use.
“The goal is to make it more in
formative and useful to external
populations, especially prospective
students,” said Deborah Carver, Uni
versity librarian and interim associ
ate vice president for information
services. Carver, who is heading the
project, said the task force was
formed at the request of University
Senior Vice President and Provost
John Moseley.
“The current Web site is very in
ternally focused, which is great for
students, faculty and staff, but we
want something accessible to
parents and prospective students,”
said Kirstin Hierholzer, the assis
tant director of the library’s center
for educational technologies.
Carver said the University’s current
Web site is functional but lacking.
“It doesn’t reflect the quality and
vibrancy of the University of Ore
gon,” she said.
Carver said the primary home
page and a set of secondary Web
sites should be running in their new
forms before the start of fall term,
ideally by Sept. 1.
Hierholzer said the task force is
currently meeting with various ad
ministrators on campus to discuss
ways to improve the Web site’s navi
gation, look and feel. Future steps
may include usability tests, which
would give representatives from var
ious groups that use the Web site —
prospective and current students,
faculty, staff and alumni — a chance
to preview and provide feedback on
the Web site changes.
The task force is looking at Web
sites of peer institutions for ideas.
Carver noted that many other
universities run graphics and
accompanying general interest
news stories on their Web sites,
something the University currently
does not do.
“We want the page to be more
dynamic, more current, more inter
esting,” Carver said, adding that
some of the photos on the current
Web site were taken years ago.
Carver said the new Web site will
be divided into different sections for
different populations. For example,
current students will click on a link
that takes them to Web sites relevant
to students.
Joe St Sauver, director of user
services and network applications
at the University computing center,
wrote in an e-mail that the Univer
sity previously redesigned its home
page in 2000 and 2002. The 2000
upgrade involved extensive
changes such as a new electronic
campus directory, and the 2002 up
grade centered on the University’s
adoption of the “O” logo.
Web site users can contribute
suggestions to the redesign task
force by clicking on the “Web
Redesign Comments” link at
www.uoregon.edu. Carver said the
task force has received about 100
comments since making the sug
gestion form available three or four
weeks ago. She said a common
response from people already
familiar with the Web site is that
the page is easy to use but needs
more flair, and the main complaint
is that the page doesn’t tell much
about the University.
“We’re looking at function as
well as attractiveness, and we want to
give a strong message about
the University and the quality of edu
cation that takes place,” Carver said.
evasylwester@ daily emerald, com
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Smoking: Some suggest
designated areas for smokers
Continued from page 1
really has very many different layers
to get through to solve all the is
sues,” Coots said.
Coots said she eventually would
like to see a smoking ban on the
entire campus and said K-12 public
schools across the country have
begun embracing campus-wide
smoking bans.
Jacque Pollard, a graduate teach
ing fellow in the English depart
ment, said she doesn’t think such a
ban is enforceable and said the neg
ative reaction it would receive
would hamper its effectiveness.
“I’d be pretty cheesed off if I was
told I had to go to Rennie’s to have a
cigarette,” Pollard said.
University law school graduate
Kevin Franken testified at the City
Council meeting that addressed the
ordinance and said he is confident
the University community will work
with the city to embrace the ordi
nance and enforce the ban.
He said he was not aware that the
city ordinance may not be enforce
able at the University but said he is
optimistic about the University being
able to enforce a policy of its own.
“The University community real
ly needs to come behind this effort
to reduce smoking and reduce expo
sure of nonsmokers to second-hand
smoke,” Franken said.
Creative writing professor Laurie
Drummond said she supports the
University’s efforts to decrease
the community’s exposure to
second-hand smoke but questioned
where smokers would go if they
had to be at least 25 feet from a
building entrance.
“I’m all in favor of not imposing
my habit on others, but I hate to see
it become punitive,” Drummond
said. “I think they need to set up a
smoking area.”
Coots said she does not support
the creation of designated smoking
areas because they could be aesthet
ically unappealing.
“It would be nice to not have
smokers congregated,” Coots said.
GTF Terese Reynolds said extending
the smoking ban on campus is
not something she is particularly excit
ed about because of laws that
already restrict smoking in bars
and restaurants.
“Let’s keep outside. This is the only
place we have left,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the smoking ban
extension should be accompanied
by the formation of smoking areas,
mainly because of the bad weather
for which Oregon is known.
“Give us a dry spot and I’ll move,”
Reynolds said.
meghanncuniff@dailyemerald.com
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