Issue 9 • Vol. 101
Loyola University New Orleans • Since 1923
April 19, 2024
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES Students express issues with university, course website accuracy and utility
By Myles McWilliams mcmcwill@loyno.edu
Someone scrolling Loyola's website might be interested in finding what centers and institutes Loyola offers. While scrolling, the Center for the Study of New Orleans may catch their eye. Or perhaps the Institute of Environmental Communication might look interesting. But if they were to click on the link for either institute they would be directed to a dreaded "page not found" message. That message, or worse - outdated information - is all too common for visitors of Loyola's website. Many students have had trouble
with the university website regarding accuracy and functionality. Mass communication freshman Curtis Starks said his experience with the website has been “so-so.” For him, some information was easy to get, but all too often, it’s out of date or just impossible to find. The task of updating and maintaining the university website falls to several different areas of campus. At the top of the pyramid is the university's web design team. They are responsible for keeping the website running and updating its code. The Office of Marketing and Communication is responsible for the
website's look and usefulness, as well as many of the shared resources. Maintaining information about individual programs falls to each individual department, who sometimes dedicate specific people to update their information. Other times it is just tacked on to someone's already heavy workload. Currently, there is only one web developer who works to maintain the university’s website – Eric Schmidt. “This is not the first time I have been a webteam of one,” Schmidt said.
See WEBSITE, page 10
Photo by Sophia Maxim, illustration by Zach Cesarini/ The Maroon