Student Council launched its redesigned website this weekend, including changes that allow student representatives’ blogs to appear on the site’s front page and a new tab specifically for bills pending discussion.
The changes complement the comprehensive bylaw reforms Council passed in February which restructured committee meetings so more conversation takes place before bills make it to the floor, said President-elect Eric McDaniel. “This is really all about efficiency and streamlining,” he said.
In a given month on the old website, fewer than 15 percent of visitors went to the “News” tab, according to data compiled by Chief Technology Officer Alex Pawlowski, a third-year Engineering student. Information from that tab now appears on the front page in an effort to make Council operations more transparent, McDaniel said.
“On the previous site, we were already getting a lot of student views,” McDaniel said. “If people are already coming to our site as a resource, let’s make sure this resource is as great as possible.”
In addition to streamlining information on the front page, Council also will now publish bills online two days before their introduction at Council meetings and nine days before a vote in the legislative body.
“[This] will help to connect students to their student government, whether or not they are formally affiliated with StudCo,” McDaniel said in a press release Monday.
Within two weeks, Pawlowski will have data on how long students spend on the redesigned site to determine how easy it is for students to find targeted information. He will also collect information on mobile traffic to the site, which he expects to increase. “A lot of people use iPads or iPhones or other mobile devices to check our website, and [now] it is a lot easier to load our webpage,” he said.
McDaniel hopes the site will help Council increase its transparency. “We at last have our own house in order, and are ready to step up to bat and serve the student body in every way we can,” McDaniel said.
Students who wish to submit feedback on the site can do so at speakupuva.com.
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