Computer Services Home Page

Cuesta College Web Page Policies

1. Content

Web pages that are generated and supported by Cuesta College resources should reflect the college goals contained in the College Mission Statement. (Content should in no way negate or detract from that statement).

Individual web pages by faculty or staff should reflect academic content specific to the area of instruction, general discipline, or campus service that is provided by the individual creating the page.

Parties responsible for creating web pages agree to always include:

• Information (logo or text) identifying the site as part of Cuesta College's site
• A hyperlink leading back to Cuesta 's home page (http://www.cuesta.edu/)
• Contact information (e-mail or phone number) on the page
• Up-to-date content/information
• Appropriate Title tags for the page, including the words Cuesta College, or course name & number for all course pages.
• A "last modified" tag indicating how current the contents of the page are
• Technically accurate content (hyperlinks, scripting, etc.).

Content which is not related to instructional or campus-sponsored activities should not be included directly on a Cuesta supported web page, but can be appropriately disclaimed and linked from the Cuesta site using the following text:
"The following link(s) will take you to a site outside the Cuesta College web server. Cuesta College has no control over the content or availability of these sites."

Web pages/sites created by academic or college service departments should reflect content that is related to the general discipline or services of that department.

Cuesta College course listings and degree and certificate requirements should not be quoted on individual or department pages, as this information is subject to change. Please hyperlink to the appropriate course listing on the college web site instead. Contact webmaster Catherine Werst, ext. 3248 or web@cuesta.edu, for hyperlink information.

Accessibility:

Web pages must conform to the standards for accessibility as specified in  Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.22.htm). There are several ways to check your web pages for compliance with these standards.

• The Alternate Media Facilitator in the DSPS Department, 546-3100 ext.2825, will meet with you and run a program which analyzes your web site and prompts you to make changes to improve the accessibility of your web pages.
• You submit a work order to Computer Services to install a web accessibility software package on your computer, then use it to analyze and modify your web site.
• You may visit the "Bobby" validation service online at  http://www.cast.org/bobby/ and type your URL (the full address of your page including the http: notation, such as http://www.cuesta.edu ) and click the submit button. The service will let you know immediately if you need to make changes to your pages to conform to the Section 508 standards, but it won't help you make those changes.

If you need additional help with this service, please contact the Alternate Media Facilitator in the DSPS Department (546-3100 ext.2825) or Computer Services (546-3248).

Space:

Campus Standard is 10MB of disk space for a web site. A web site could belong to an individual or a department. If more than 10MB is needed, please present your needs and the reasons for these needs to the Web Executive Board.

File Names:

File names should contain eight or fewer characters in the file name. For example: "pagetwo.htm" or "pagetwo.html". No special characters or spaces are allowed in the file name. Use all lowercase. The filename of your site's initial (home) page must be called index.htm or index.html.

Browser Support:

Web pages will work with, at minimum, the current version of Internet Explorer and Netscape and one version back.

3. Process for Implementation of Tools for Cuesta Web site

If you need a web-based application (program, script or software) with features beyond the basics of a web page, please submit a written description of your needs and the features you expect in the final product to Computer Services. Computer Services will research and suggest a product(s) based on this written request and work with you to accomplish the task with the most satisfactory solution available. Please keep in mind that at the present time, there is no budget available for acquiring third party programs. If there is a cost involved, the W.E.B. will determine purchasing decisions.

4. Web Page Contracting

If your department is going to hire a web designer to create or modify your web site, you need to:

1. Include a statement that web pages must be submitted to the Alternate Media Facilitator or Cuesta College Web Master for analysis, and that the pages must be Section 508 compliant, before final payment will be made.
2. Include a statement in the contract that the web pages will meet section 508 standards.

5. Domain Name Policy

To secure a domain name other than those already established by the college, a Manager, Director or Dean must provide a written request for approval of the new domain name to the Web Executive Board (W.E.B.) that:

• specifies the requested domain name;
• establishes the need for the special identity marketing represented by the request.
• Outlines the marketing plan that will make this alternative domain name known to its potential users.

The W.E.B. will approve or deny the request. Computer Services will process approved requests; securing the new domain name through a domain registrar and host the domain name on the appropriate Cuesta Web servers. The Director of Computer Services will be listed on the registrar's domain name agreement statement as the administrator and technical contact; however, the cost of securing and maintaining the domain name is the responsibility of the unit requesting the domain name.

All sites using any form of electronic commerce must include a privacy policy statement. Please see the Cuesta College Privacy Statement for an example.

6. Image Link Policy

When referring to an organization outside of Cuesta College, a link may be placed on a website leading to an outside URL as long as there is a disclaimer as stated in the Web Page Policies. Creating a graphical link using a trademark, brand, logo or other distinguishing industry mark indicates an endorsement and is not permitted.

7. Privacy/Security Statements

Any web page that asks for credit card information must display a link to a security statement appropriate to the technology used to process the transaction (whether online or manual), plus a link to a privacy statement as required by most current legislation.

Section 508 Notice of Intent
Cuesta College is actively working on bringing its existing web content and presentation into compliance with Section 508 rulings. We have been on the forefront of accessibility issues with the ADA directives, and we welcome the new standards as an additional challenge to present all of our students the opportunity to succeed. As we are in the process of evaluating our website for a new look and direction, we are building Section 508 compliance into our core site, as well as establishing an on-site contact person for accessibility issues in our instruction materials on the web.

This page last updated on 10/3/03

Questions or comments, please contact the Webmaster, Catherine Werst, at 546-3248.