A new ‘do for www.pdx.edu

The departments at Portland State will be updating their Web sites in an effort to create a unified layout. The Dean of Students’ site, the commencement site and the Student Affairs’ site are all examples of the new stylistic direction.

Most departments will adopt the Student Affairs’ Web site template and move to the Drupal content management system.

“Drupal is often described as a ‘content management system’ [and] it is also a ‘content management framework’…geared more towards [sic] configurability and customization,” according to Drupal’s Web site.

Departments can use Drupal to change their own site info and layout, taking HTML code from a template then uploading it to the new site.

“Drupal offers features like syndicated news and the ability for multiple users to update content, allowing you to create ‘news nuggets’ that then can be used by different divisions within the university,” said Laura DeGrace, administrative assistant at the Center for Student Health and Counseling.

The Drupal system gives people with no technical experience the ability to update information, meaning that ultimately students will have quicker access to more information.

The SHAC Web site is being developed by DeGrace and will be updated in two phases. The first phase will be launched after the Thanksgiving break, and the second will be finished by the end of 2009.

The second phase of improvements will be less structural and more content based, incorporating more elements of social media like video, MP3 and interactive self-screening pieces.

J.R. Tarabocchia, coordinator of commencement and student affairs outreach, has been acting as a “mini university communications” liaison by going to individual departments suggesting layouts and encouraging updates.

“Departments want to spend time on things that more directly impact students, not Web site design,” Tarabocchia said. “My job is to encourage these departments to come together and give their sites a common look and feel.”

The Student Affairs’ site template uses a black bar—replacing the old blue bar—at the top of the main page with dropdown menus below. Underneath, subcategories are arranged vertically.

Each section includes a small photograph representing that particular facet of Portland State culture, creating a less text-heavy, more visually appealing look.

The right column includes news and events as well as links to the department’s own Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites. These social networking tools are being used to make the sites more interactive, particularly the ones that have not been updated in years.

The physics department Web site, for example, features the old Portland State emblem in the right corner, red text on a peach-colored background and various pixilated images of colored light patterns.

Tarabocchia encourages creativity as long as it is within the framework of the larger Portland State Web site layout.

The Campus Rec Web site was redeveloped in April, and the new SHAC Web site is following suit in hopes to eliminate inconsistencies and implement popular social media so students can be easily informed about services and events.

“In a time of tight budgets, these changes are a way to do more, with less,” DeGrace said.