QU students struggle to find important information on campus website

This is a picture of a student looking at a computer.

By Cassie Phillips

For many years the Quincy University website has remained the same. Only the necessary information was updated frequently.

When the Quincy University Website was created, no sole person took the responsibility to be in charge of the website. The website for many years appeared to sit dormant only updating important information, like the academic calendar and date related items.

Sandy Trudell has been hired part-time to update the Quincy University website. Even though Trudell is new to the job, she has many goals that she hopes to accomplish.

“We hope to make it easier to navigate, and ensure all information is up to date as well as to add more engaging photos,” Trudell said.

Sometimes finding information on the website can difficult. Many pages are hidden beneath layers of links, and other pages.

Students like Abby Kastenholz and Ronni Holtschlag find that sometimes it is hard or takes consuming to find information.

“Finding the Hawks Dinning takes time; it should take two clicks but instead takes five,” Kastenholz said.

To find the Hawks Dining page, a student would:

1.) Get on the QU website

2.) Click on the tab that says Campus Life

3.) Click on the link that says resident life

4.) Then click Hawks Dining

5.) Once you click that, it should take you to a different browser and take you to the Hawks Dining homepage.

The Hawks Dining service does offer an app that students can download to find the menu and cafeteria hours right on their phones. However, finding the hawks dinning on the website takes time and many steps.

“I wish there were a tab that’s just for students that has all of the information we need,” Kastenholz said.

Another project university offices are working on is to make the student portal the place to go to get all the information you need.

“We are also working to make the portal a destination for current students, faculty, and staff to find the information they need,” Trudell said.

Other students are finding it time-consuming to search and find information.

“If I could change anything, it would be how navigation works to get from one page to another. Currently, some of the side things send you to a new page just with a link on it, when it could just send you directly to the link, which would be so much simpler and less time-consuming,” Ronni Holtschlag said.

The goal for the QU website is to improve the navigation. Trudell and her team are working and planning to update and improve the website.

“We are working to clean up pages that need refreshing, including a new look to the homepage. In the coming year we’ll start the planning process for a complete overhaul of the site,” Trudell said.

In the meantime, if students have feedback they wish to share, Trudell is open to it.

“We are always open to hearing what students think of the website and would welcome feedback,” Trudell said.

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