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Western Carolinian Volume 71 Number 06

items 6 of 42 items
  • hl_westerncarolinian_2006-11-30_vol71_no06_06.jpg
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Item’s are ‘child’ level descriptions to ‘parent’ objects, (e.g. one page of a whole book).

  • troop of women w have taken the Campus on No in the Performing Performing Arts The perionne original plays, stre residency progran concepts of femir kind of discrimina and drama. The that the audience actors and more The Gue over the United in Europe and A displays and perf released several on their website com. Extreme e-makeover By Zach McKeown WCnewsmagazine Students may have noticed a sudden change of color scheme on the WCU website, but there is much more to the new design than a cool blue background. The new website boasts dozens of renovations, with many more to come in the near future. Newton Smith, Director of Web Services for Western, described the old site as, not terribly good at getting information to people outside the University. The decision to make major changes to the site was made in the summer of 2005 for that exact reason. The website at the time wasn't attractive to prospective students and was of very little use to anyone not currently enrolled. Over thirty web design firms vied for the coveted design position, and out of those thirty, three were chosen to make presentations at Western. In the end mStoner, a web design company that helps higher learning institutions, charitable and social service organizations, and other non-profit groups, won the contract. Not only was the design of the site to be drastically altered but also the way in which it was updated. With the help of mStoner, Western chose between nearly a dozen content management systems, which are used to make changes to the website. In the end, RedDot Solutions was chosen due to its streamlined design and ease of use. | Starting in January 2006, mStoner set about interviewing students, faculty, and anyone else affiliated with Western to create a better picture of what the website should and should not feature. By February a concept had begun taking shape, and construction of the site had begun in earnest. Later in the year, a poll that offered the chance at winning an iPod was taken throughout the student population. The students narrowed down several choices to just two, then the board at Western chose from the final two designs. The website represents a newer, more friendly face for WCU and finally went live on October 31 this year. Smith described the new design as having a casual, professional tone with a focus on you. One of the many changes includes what Smith calls consistent information. Many students found the website somewhat difficult to navigate in the past, which is to say nothing of the different versions of information available, but the new design provides a far superior organization of information for current and prospective students than its predecessor. The days of digging for vital bits of information are gone for good, but just in case anything fell through the cracks, links to contact web services are provided if there is any information that students feel should be listed more prominently. e Student input is a vital ingredient to the new website, and future changes include virtual tours of the dorms on campus, wherein students will be provided cameras to represent their dorm on a much more personal level. The new site is still a work in progress, and students can expect many more changes in the near future, including an overhaul of MyCat, though plans are still tentative at this point. , MyCat works, explained Smith, its solid, but there will eventually be changes. For a long time, the reason for Westerns greatness has been a secret, but now it is front and center. Western is great because of its people, and now the world can see that. newsmagazine IddiVH SIdKAVD Re INN A ay if ~ So a a ee me ee ee Se
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).