Web Guidelines

Introduction

Muskegon Community College’s website is an official communication vehicle of the College designed for sharing information with the campus community and its constituents. Muskegon Community College’s Web Policy applies to information: (1) published on servers owned by Muskegon Community College; (2) published within the Muskegon Community College www.muskegoncc.edu domain; and (3) published elsewhere under direction or control of a Muskegon Community College department, organization or individual, where the contents are identified as Muskegon Community College information. Non-official Web pages residing on any MCC server must be ADA compliant and free of copyright violations, privacy policy violations, commercial advertising, and inappropriate material.

General Principles

The website will reflect the College’s mission and strategic plan as well as the goals and objectives that emanate from these initiatives:

• Mission Statement
• Master Plan

The content presented on the website will be accurate, timely and responsive to Muskegon Community

College’s key audiences.

Primary Goals

The Muskegon Community College website, as the public face of the College, serves the marketing and communications needs of the college and is the College’s most important communications and recruitment tool for its external stakeholders. Its primary audiences are:

• Prospective students and their families (Future Students and Academics/Recruitment).
• Alumni, donors, and friends (Alumni & Supporters / Advancement).
• Community members (Community & Business and About MCC / Informative) Other key audiences are:
• Prospective employees

The information and communications needs of these key audiences are very specific and critically important. Their needs can be best met through the pages on www.muskegoncc.edu.

MyMCC.muskegoncc.edu is the internal communication and information vehicle for the college. Primary audiences of MyMCC:

• Current Students
• Current Employees
• Retired Employees

Accessibility

Muskegon Community College has a moral imperative to ensure that its website and Web pages are accessible to all individuals encompassing the widest gamut of physical abilities, At MCC, every attempt is made to meet national standards established in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. While the College’s Content Management System (Word Press) addresses many accessibility issues, assistance will be provided to individuals and programs to bring new and/or existing content into compliance. In extreme cases, it may be necessary to temporarily remove content while revising it so that it conforms.

Content Management System

The College’s website is managed through the WordPress content management system (CMS). Individuals who publish information must use this CMS and no other third party tools to edit or publish content.

A. Official Templates

Academic departments, administrative offices and student organizations are required to use the official Web template for their page(s). Web templates are embedded in the College’s CMS. Widget areas on pages are implemented at the discretion of the Office of Community Outreach. Proposed changes to these page areas must be approved by the Office of Community Outreach.

Content Editor Responsibilities

The ability to add content to the College’s website by faculty, staff and students is considered a privilege not a right, and users must abide by College policies and procedures. Failure to conform with any College policy applicable to the website may result in the immediate loss of the ability to publish content on the Web. The following standards apply to all Web publishers whether they are administrative or academic departments, campus organizations, or individuals.

Content editors are: (1) responsible for the content on the pages in their respective department, office or program; and (2) required to comply with all MCC policies and procedures as well as state and federal laws concerning appropriate use of computers. Violations will be treated seriously and may result in loss of the permission to publish to MCC websites.

A.  Keeping Content Current

Official Web pages must be maintained and up-to-date. Furthermore, only active files should be kept on the site. Inactive files, such as old documents, should be removed from directories and stored on the campus network.

Also, pages must not feature obscene, harassing, or discriminatory content or contain any other inappropriate information. Examples of appropriate Web page content include up-to-date contact information (phone, fax, e-mail, mailing address); the latest department or office news and events; original articles; commonly requested forms; and other resources. Official Web pages should convey professionalism and congruence with the College’s mission.

B.  Appropriate Content, Implementation, and Purpose

Institutional pages should not duplicate the master information, which should be displayed from the appropriate database source. Departments and offices who wish to request corrections of the MCC master information, such as Faculty and Staff Directory, Academic Year Calendar, Areas of Study, Financial Aid and Degrees and Certificates should contact the Webmaster.

C.  Understanding Copyright and Fair Use

In accordance with U.S. copyright law, material that carries a copyright may not be reproduced without express permission from the copyright owner. Permission, however, is not needed when utilization falls under what the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 deems fair use. Additional information about copyright is available through the U.S. Copyright Office online at http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright. If a copyright complaint is filed with the college, the material in question will be removed from the college’s Web site immediately—provided that the complainant sufficiently identifies the copyrighted material and asserts that use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. The college’s copyright infringement policy is online at

D.  Adhering to Advertising Policy

Commercial advertising is not permitted on any Web page residing on a MCC server unless approved by the Office of Community Outreach. Noncommercial advertising of a department or program event is permitted however, on official pages.

Copyright Compliance

E.  Maintaining Graphic Standards

Muskegon Community College maintains a consistent graphic identity in its printed publications, advertising, and its electronic communications, including its website and MyMCC. The Office of Community Outreach oversees the creation, maintenance and enforcement of those standards. Failure to comply with the MCC Graphic Standards on the website may result in loss of the permission to publish to MCC websites.

F.   Process of Webpage Approval

Departments and offices should discuss their need for a new webpage with the Webmaster. If approval is granted, the webpage would be created and saved in draft form for review by the Webmaster. If approved, the webpage would then be published. College Web review is conducted at two levels of compliance: content and accessibility. Web page content is reviewed by the MCC Webmaster. The Webmaster is responsible for the user experience, editorial and visual look of the pages, and compliance to current MCC brand standards, copyright and privacy policies. The Webmaster, working with the Office of Information Technology, is responsible for compliance to accessibility; file, link and page template requirements, and how the visual elements of the page(s) work within the overall structure of the MCC Web site.

G.  Web Pages Violations

If an official page is not in accordance with the Web style guidelines, a notice will be issued to the site’s primary Web liaison via e-mail. If the problem has not been rectified within 5 business days, the webpage will be removed from the College’s server. See below for issues that prompt immediate removal of a page from the server.

H.   Situations Prompting Immediate Webpage Removal

1. The page is inaccessible to site visitors with disabilities and does not provide an accessible alternative.
2. The page violates state or federal law or college policy.
3. The page features unapproved commercial advertising.
4. The page features an unofficial version of the college logo.
5. The page conveys disruptive or harmful misinformation.
6. The page features inappropriate material, including obscene, harassing, or discriminatory language.

I. Personal Webpages

A personal webpage is defined as a webpage for any Muskegon Community College individual faculty member, staff member or student that contains information of a personal nature unrelated to their responsibilities at the College and to which a link has been established from an official College page. Individual members of the faculty and staff may link to their own personal webpages using the optional social media links provided in the Faculty and Staff contact information template. The College does not guarantee the privacy or the public accessibility of personal webpages.

If a personal webpage is judged by the Web Advisory Committee to contain material that is grossly offensive or inappropriate, the College may remove all links from official College pages to that personal page. Personal webpages that violate College security policies, state and federal laws will have all links removed from official College pages.

Institutional Responsibilities

The Office of Community Outreach is responsible for the overall content of the MCC Web presence, including editorial and graphic elements, and the user experience. The Office of Information Technology is responsible for supporting the college’s internet site, http://www.muskegoncc.edu.

A. Web Page Training

Webpage training using Word Press is available for faculty and staff. One-on-one training is available for those needing additional assistance with the development of their webpages. To request assistance or training contact the Office of Information Technology.

Web Advisory Committee

The Web Advisory Committee (WAC) is appointed by Muskegon Community College’s president. This committee advises on issues related to the College’s website as well as broader concerns relevant to the Web. The WAC is responsible for developing policies, standards and procedures to ensure consistency and compliance throughout the College’s website. The WAC proposes recommendations to the College president and the President’s Cabinet for review and approval. The WAC also serves as an initial contact point and clearinghouse for policy matters regarding the College’s website.

Members of the Web Advisory Committee are:

• Daniel Boothe – Communications Manager/Webmaster, Marketing & Communications
• Pamela Jackson – ADA Website Compliance Consultant, Marketing & Communications
• Jason Miller – Director of IT Operations, Office of Information Technology
• Christopher VanOosterhout – Business Faculty, Computer Information Systems
• Kristin Tank, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer