The Campus Chronicle
Vol. XVIII, Issue 25
for the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts
March 14, 2003

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Online campus calendar slated for fall debut

by Sarah R. Buchholz, Chronicle staff

A s part of a new gateway to the campus's Web site, the University will get a dynamic online calendar this fall, according to Nina Sossen, Web communication manager in Web Development.

     The gateway itself, formerly known as the "front door," "will have a whole new look and feel" and will highlight a few events and provide a link to the full calendar, which can be searched by date or by keyword (e.g., "dance" or "hockey"), Sossen said. Because the dates for some events are known months in advance, the calendar will be searchable well into the future, she said. As a date approaches, it likely will accumulate more submissions.

     Employees and students who know of upcoming events that aren't yet listed on the calendar will be able to submit them to Web Development by filling out an online form on the calendar page, according to Kathryn Eldred, director of Marketing. After getting the submission, Web Development will post the event on the calendar.

     "A more important feature is that 'regular' contributors to the calendar will be able to sign up with Web Development and get authority to post their events, including images, directly [to the site]," she said.

     The success of the calendar will depend on thorough participation from those responsible for publicizing events.

     Sossen hopes that the central role of the calendar will encourage people to submit events - lectures, workshops, performances, exhibit openings and athletic contests - to keep it complete and accurate.

     "This calendar will become the central source for event information on campus and hopefully that in itself will encourage groups from across campus to post their event information," said Eldred. "We have already spoken to several groups on campus to get their thoughts and feedback and will continue to do so throughout the spring. Overall, I think it's a great service that we can offer and an important step in improving the University's ability to communicate about the vast array of events that take place on this campus."

     Eldred said her office will be working with the Five College Calendar group on feeding the campus calendar directly into theirs.

     "The whole point of this thing is we want people to see UMass as a vibrant place where there are always new things happening, because there are," Sossen said.

     Although she stressed that it's still at the early planning stages, Sossen said anyone with questions about the calendar may contact her (7-4741).

 
    
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