The University of South
Florida
Dave Roberts
Rebekah Rhodes
Melissa Wolfman
Amy Vaughan
Philosophy Statement
The philosophy statement for the Student Life
Department at Western Idaho College, guided by
the principles of the institutional mission
statement, offers an attractive, user friendly,
interactive service that prospective and current
students, staff, faculty, alumni and community
members refer to for current information.
Introduction
Shaw (2002) suggests that the mission of the
institution’s website should reflect the mission of
the institution. The mission statement of Western
Idaho College (WIC) provided direction in
creating the Student Life’s departmental website
philosophy statement. To guide the Vice-President
of Student Affairs at WIC, the following critiques
and recommendations, are being offered by this
committee as a way to fulfill the newly established
philosophy statement.
WIC Student Life Home Page
Critiques
Recommendations
Unwelcoming, not visually appealing.
(i.e. lack of color and graphics)
Unnecessary information (i.e. National
Headlines)
Negative language (i.e. We are up on the
web, finally. Though we are a small
college, we are happy to be able to serve
our student needs.)
Lack of adequate contact information.
Page design or layout is not user friendly
throughout the website.
Add an array of vibrant colors, backgrounds,
graphics/photos and include visually appealing fonts
Include information about upcoming campus
events from various Student Life departments.
Text should reflect the enthusiasm o the
department and institution.
Provide a link to campus directory, as well as a
consistent logo including the department contact
information.
“Layout should be consistent throughout the site,
ensuring predictability” (Landsberger, 2002, p. 65).
Examples of Quality Student Affairs Home Pages
http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/dsd/staffairs/
http://www.uoguelph.ca/studentaffairs/
http://www.msvu.ca/student_affairs/
Mission Statement
Critique
Mission is not specific to school or
department.
The mission statement is long, wordy
and detailed.
There is an inconsistency between
link and mission title. (i.e. Mission
and program versus Our Mission)
Recommendations
The department’s mission statement
should reflect the values and beliefs
of the institution, while clearly
stating the goals and objectives of
the Student Affairs department.
The mission statement of the
department should be clear and
concise.
Another example of the need for
consistency and clear language
Example of Quality Mission Statements
http://www.valdosta.edu/studentaffairs/mission.html
Policies and Procedures
Critiques
Non-user friendly format. (i.e. Policy
titles are listed without links)
Intended audience not specified
Language does not promote student
development. (i.e.college consistently
referred to as institute)
Sanctions appear to be punitive.
Recommendations
Link to policies or put student
handbook online using Adobe format.
Clarify language so that policies and
procedures are consistently directed
towards students.
Modify language to be consistent with
mission statement.
WIC should ensure that sanctions
reflect the colleges’ commitment to
academics.
Examples of Quality Policies and Procedures
http://www.sa.usf.edu/handbook/02/rights/StudentEventManagementPolicies.htm
http://www.majbill.vt.edu/sl/handbook.html
Residence Life
Critiques
Recommendations
Inconsistency in language (i.e.
Residence Life versus Residential Life)
Lack of editing (i.e. underconstruction
is misspelled)
Vague timeline (Spring of 2003)
Lack of contact information.
Does construction refer to the website
or the actual Residence Halls?
Multiple links (Residence Information
and Residence Life) lead to the same
page.
Language should be clear and concise.
Proper editing required
A specific date should be provided, and
the department should be held
accountable to that date.
Residence Life should include a
directory link or contact information
until site is functioning properly.
Be specific in descriptions of
construction.
Maintain layout design.
Examples of Quality Residence Life Web Pages
• http://www.reserv.usf.edu/
•http://www.reslife.msu.edu/
•http://www.usip.edu/reslife/
Orientation
Critiques
Recommendations
An inadequate amount of information
to justify having a link.
Counseling and Advising is mentioned,
but does not have a link.
Detailed contact information is missing.
The department should consider placing
the page under construction, and review
the purpose of the page.
Counseling and Advising should have a
separate page.
Supply contact information.
Examples of Quality Orientation Pages
•http://orientation.osu.edu/
•http://www.fpext.appstate.edu/gstudies/orientation/index.htm
Athletics
Critiques
Recommendations
Site only lists basketball schedule.
No specified arena or directions.
There are no details about the athletics
program. (i.e. directors, classes,
recruiting)
No photographs or statistics.
Scrolling message is too small and
moves too quickly for the viewer to
read.
The message shows a lack of support
for the Board of Trustees (i.e. negative
message and sarcasm through “refusal...
to change name...we still hold athletic
events”).
Include all teams, perhaps offer links to each
team.
Offer information regarding arena admission
fees and directions to venues.
Create an athletics home page including
contact information, links to all teams and
other relevant information.
Insert promotional material from games and
brochures.
The institution website should show support for
the Board of Trustees; opinions should be
excluded.
The scrolling message should not be biased.
Examples of Quality Athletics Pages
http://www.gopsusports.com/home/
http://www.nd.edu/athletics/index.shtml
http://tarheelblue.ocsn.com/
Conclusion
After careful review, it has been determined that
the website for Western Idaho College’s (WIC)
Student Life Department does not properly
reflect the newly created philosophy statement.
Therefore, this committee suggests that a focus
group is convened to review the
recommendations offered, reference the attached
websites for input, and reconstruct the overall
design, layout and appearance of the student life
website.
References
Lansberger, J. (2002). Accessibility: How easy, or even possible...
Tech Trends, 46 (5), 65-67.
Shaw, T. (2002). The school web site: A servant to many masters.
Multimedia Schools, 9 (5), 48-49.