Web Standards

Publication: Marketing Handbook

Policy Statement

The CU Web Standards apply to all Carolina University web pages and web-based services that use Carolina University web services. Each CU document is part of Carolina University’s public presentation and should be treated as such, with care and attention to detail. All Carolina University web pages should comply with both CU Web Standards and Section 508 accessibility standards.

Rationale

The CU Web Standards are meant to promote a consistent Carolina University brand and do so with an easily accessible interface for those accessing CU web pages.

Policy Procedures

1. Domain Names: Carolina University websites are required to have domain names within the carolinau.edu domain, e.g., carolinau.edu/admissions or my.carolinau.edu. External domain names should not host a Carolina University site unless there is a marketing reason for doing so. Use of an external domain name must have prior approval from the Marketing and Communication Department. Any websites outside of the carolinau.edu domain name must have approval of the Marketing and Communication Department.
2. Design: Carolina University websites must use one of the approved web templates. The templates provide consistent branding and navigation for users. Additional information can be provided by the Marketing and Communication Department.
3. Contact Information: Carolina University web pages must provide up-to-date contact information (name, address, and email) for users to contact a Carolina University department or organization.
4. Ensuring Accuracy: Carolina University web pages must be continuously maintained. Review and necessary revision ensure all Carolina University content is relevant and up-to-date, as required by the specific area/unit web administrator. Please direct all website requests and changes to the Website Ticketing System by emailing your requests to: webmaster@carolinau.edu. These requests must be detailed and include the URL of the webpage in question.
5. Confidential Information: Carolina University will not publish confidential information on its web pages.
6. Advertising/Sponsorship: Only departments or organizations with an existing, approved advertising/sponsorship may extend it to their web pages. For approval of advertising/sponsorship opportunities, contact the Director of Media Relations in the Marketing and Communication Department.
7. Copyright: Carolina University web pages must comply with federal copyright laws.
8. Correct Use of University Name: The official forms of Carolina University’s name are: Carolina University and CU. No other abbreviations or arrangements are acceptable. When referring to Carolina University simply as “the University,” the word “University” should be uppercase.
9. Correct Spelling and Grammar: As with any publication, checks for spelling errors, typos, and grammatical mistakes are required. Please notify the appropriate area/unit web administrator if errors are discovered via the Website Ticketing System.
10. Correct Use of Images: Images must not incorporate difficult to read or illegible text, they must not appear pixelated or stretched and should be in JPG, PNG or SVG format and less than 1MB in size. Whenever possible, do not include text in an image. Rather, overlay text on top of the image through the website or add text next to the image.
11. Faculty Pages and Bios: A faculty member may be represented with a single faculty page within the page of the department that the faculty member is affiliated with. If a faculty member wishes to provide more information, he or she may provide a link from the CU faculty page to a non-CU-affiliated site. The faculty member is required to send an appropriate biography, or they will be removed from the website.
12. Course Pages and Websites: A course may be represented with a single course page within the department site. Course pages are the responsibility of the department to maintain and keep up to date. If the instructor wishes to create a course website, he or she may request to do so through the Marketing and Communication Department. All course websites are the responsibility of the current instructor and must adhere to Carolina University’s policies and procedures. Each course can have one link that will be transferred from the CU site to a non-CU-affiliated site; this site must comply with CU Web Standards.
13. Compliance with Carolina University Web Standards: If noncompliance with Carolina University’s Web Standards is found, those pages will be placed in draft mode by the Marketing and Communication Department. Pages in draft mode are removed from the live site, but their content remains available for the owners to update. When a page is placed in draft mode, the administrator of the site is notified of the pages that need to be changed in order to return them to the live site. The Marketing and Communication Department will then review the changes and determine if they are compliant with Carolina University’s Web Standards, and if they do, the pages will then be returned to the live site.