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Minutes (Feb. 26, 2003) Web Advisory Committee

Present: Bonnie O'Connor, Alan Miller, Tom Raymond, Gilbert Sosa, Dr. Keith Krolick, Kathleen Crane, Dr. John Olson, Jesse Gomez, Heather Cura (substituting for Dr. Barbara Covington), Jim Barrett

Bonnie O'Connor, acting as chair in Dr. Ray Palmer's absence, opened the meeting, and received approval of the Jan. 29 minutes.

Jim Barrett presented the webmaster's report. He told the committee that the meeting had a special significance because Ms. O'Connor was chairing it, and it would be her last as an employee. She is retiring Friday, and has made many contributions to the Health Science Center's web effort since the 1990s, Mr. Barrett said. He then delivered the webmaster's report, saying: In new business, Heather Cura presented 25 maps of campus locations that were published in Student Services Office publications but have become out of date. She said the School of Nursing had compiled maps with room labels of its own buildings, and plans to publish them on the school web site soon. She asked whether similar mapping could be done institution-wide and published on the web. Gilbert Sosa said his department is working with Facilities Management to develop maps for visitor use in the new Administration and Student Services Building. He said he would convey the committee's desire for maps to Jerry York, vice president and CIO, and also report back to the committee in March about whether the new building's maps could be used on the web. Alan Miller said the maps Ms. Cura showed had been produced several years ago for student publications and had grown out of date. He said producing the maps was a slow process, and that the committee would need to resolve how to pay for new maps

In old business, the committee reviewed a proposed policy on hosting non-uthscsa.edu web domains. Mr. Barrett said he and Dr. Frank Stafford on Feb. 18 had presented the committee's proposed policy change to Jack Park, the university counsel. Mr. Park said the proposal's terms needed to be strengthened to assure the Health Science Center or at least one of its employees had control of the non-uthscsa web site's content, Mr. Barrett said. In addition, Mr. Barrett said, the counsel said applicants for hosting should justify why the university, rather than a private company, needs to host the site.

The group reviewed a draft of a request form that incorporated the counsel's advice. Kathleen Crane said the form appeared to be short and succinct. Ms. O'Connor said she would prefer hosting no non-uthscsa sites because many private alternatives are available. Dr. John Olson suggested stating in the form that the university in general does not host other people's sites, but would make an exception in cases where the web site owner had a reason for it to do so. He also said any exception should be beneficial to the Health Science Center.

Mr. Barrett said he would rewrite the proposal and form, and circulate it to members through the committee's listserve so the policy could be passed to the Computing Resources Committee as soon as possible.

In a second item of old business, Mr. Barrett provided screen captures of the new Health Science Center homepage, and invited members to view the site before it goes public. He cited user testing earlier in February with four subjects who helped identify navigation problems that now have been fixed.

Mr. Miller said the minutes from January indicated Jesse Gomez would report on the Biodocs project, which collects curricula vitae information from faculty members. In January, Mr. Barrett said Biodocs was collecting degree information beyond what the committee wanted. The committee earlier said it wanted Biodocs to supply only terminal degree designations, M.D. or Ph.D., for example, for the web-based telephone directory. Mr. Gomez said the Human Resources Department would add a form on its web site where faculty members could enter Biodocs information, including their preferred degree designations. He said the information would be added by departmental administrators so that it showed in the telephone directory. Mr. Barrett asked whether choices would be limited to terminal degrees. Mr. Gomez said no, but faculty members would be able to supply the designations they desired for their individual listing.

Ms. O'Connor adjourned the meeting. The next meeting will be Wednesday, March 26, 9:30-10:30 a.m., in the Computing Resources conference room.

-- Minutes prepared by Jim Barrett
-- Approved March 26, 2003