Policies & Procedures
Policies & Procedures / Website Content Policy

Website Content Policy

Purpose:

Willamette University strives to maintain a website that is accessible, informative, and respectful of all users. As such, this policy governs the creation, management, and usage of digital content to ensure a positive user experience for all users. It is essential that the content on the university’s website represents the university's academic and cultural excellence and fosters an environment of inclusivity, respect, and transparency. The university website (willamette.edu and subdomains) serves as a principal platform for communicating the university's mission, vision, values, and offerings and aims to provide accurate, relevant, and timely information to a wide range of audiences, emphasizing prospective students. 

The policy covers all content hosted under the willamette.edu domain, which includes academic department pages, administrative unit pages, and any affiliated pages or subdomains..

Definitions Related to the Policy: 

Accessibility means ensuring that web content, features, and functionalities are designed and developed to be usable and understandable by individuals with diverse abilities and disabilities, in accordance with applicable accessibility standards and guidelines.

Content means any information, data, text, images, videos, audio clips, software, applications, or other material accessible or available on the University Website.

Intellectual Property means original creative works protected by copyright, trademark, patent, or other applicable laws, including but not limited to text, images, logos, software, and multimedia content.

Sensitive Information means confidential, personal, or proprietary data that requires protection against unauthorized access, disclosure, or use. This includes but is not limited to personally identifiable information (PII), financial data, health records, and any information subject to privacy laws and regulations.

Third-party Tracking Code means a snippet of code embedded on a webpage to gather user data, track online behavior, and create user profiles across different websites for advertising, analytics, or other purposes.

University Website refers to the online platform owned, operated, and maintained by Willamette University, accessible via https://willamette.edu, which includes but is not limited to all webpages, subdomains, and associated digital content.

  • External site - Includes public pages on the Willamette website including subdomains and associated digital content.
  • Internal site - Includes public and private pages on the myWillamette site including subdomains and associated digital content.

User means any individual accessing, browsing, contributing to, or interacting with the University Website, including students, faculty, staff, visitors, and any other person utilizing the website services.

Web Content Administrators means designated personnel responsible for the management, maintenance, and oversight of the University Website, including content creation, editing, and publication.

Policy:

  1. Web Governance Committee - The Web Governance Committee is appointed by the President or the President’s delegee and is vested with comprehensive authority over Willamette University's digital web presence. This includes, but is not limited to public information for a variety of diverse audiences, private information for internal audiences, blogs, faculty pages, portals, and sites hosted on University maintained systems, including Google Sites. The committee’s jurisdiction extends to existing web properties and any future web digital platforms or Content types that may emerge. Oversight does not include university systems such as networks, netfiles, learning management systems, or other systems managed by WITS. 
  2. Roles and Responsibilities of Web Governance Committee
    1. Designated Web Content Administrators in the Marketing and WITS departments are responsible for Content creation, approval, review and publishing on pages for the External site.
    2. Content for the Internal site (MyWillamette) may be created and published by University departments. In some cases, however, internal Content may need to be reviewed and approved by University Web Content Administrators prior to publishing.
    3. The Web Governance Committee brings together essential voices throughout the University to effectively determine the best way to utilize the University’s websites, both public and private, to maximize the strategic benefit of these technologies and associated resources. 
    4. The Web Governance Committee has the authority to refuse to publish or delete any web Content it determines in its sole authority is not aligned with the mission of the website.
  3. Content Accuracy and Timeliness - Willamette University strives to provide factually accurate and current information on the University Website. The Web Governance Committee, or designees, regularly review and evaluate the Content on Willamette's public-facing web pages. This process includes updating or archiving any information that is no longer current or correct.
  4. Content Lifespan and Review - All website Content, targeting both primary and secondary audiences, is subject to a structured review process to maintain accuracy, relevance, and compliance with institutional standards. 
    1. All Content displayed on a web platform must be assigned an expiration date upon creation. This date also signifies when the Content must be reviewed. 
    2. The Marketing department is responsible for the annual review of Content on public-facing websites. Individual departments are responsible for annually reviewing Content targeted at internal audiences. 
    3. If Content is not reviewed by its expiration date, the Marketing Department reserves the right to remove it from the website to ensure the integrity and relevance of the website. 
    4. All public-facing Content, including edits made by departments, is subject to final approval by the Marketing Department to ensure consistency with branding and messaging standards. 
  5. Compliance with Federal and State Law - When Content is required by law, Willamette will include such Content on its web platforms. The responsibility of identifying, updating, and including legally mandated Content on the institution’s web platforms falls under the purview of the Web Governance Committee in conjunction and consultation with legal counsel and other relevant departments. 
  6. Information Security and Privacy - Willamette University prioritizes User privacy and adheres to applicable data protection laws. Information collected through the website, such as personal data,  must be handled securely and used only for intended purposes as outlined in the university’s Web Privacy Policy. 
    1. All digital Content (including text, images and videos) must comply with the university’s Information Security Policy. 
    2. Sensitive Information will not be published.
  7. Copyright and Intellectual Property - All Content published on the University Website, including text, images and videos, is owned by Willamette University or used with appropriate permissions as outlined in the Willamette University Copyright Policy. With the exception of news stories, specific Content authors will not be attributed on the University Website. Users are expected to respect copyright laws and obtain necessary permissions before using or reproducing any Content from the University Website.
  8. Content Creation and Content Posting
    1. Content for external pages will be created and posted only by Designated Web Content Administrators in the Marketing and WITS departments.
    2. Content for internal myWillamette pages may be created by departments and/or the Institutional Marketing department.
    3. University policies may only be posted by the Office of General Counsel.
    4. Content should be relevant to the university's goals for the website as determined by the Web Governance Committee.
  9. Resolution of Content Disputes - In the context of managing and governing the web Content of Willamette University, disputes may arise regarding the appropriateness, relevance, or representation of Content on web platforms. The Web Governance Committee is the body responsible for resolving disputes related to web Content. Decisions are made based on the Content’s relevance to the university’s goals for the website.  
  10. Responsible Use - Users are expected to utilize the Willamette University website responsibly and refrain from engaging in activities that disrupt or compromise the functionality, security, or integrity of the website. This includes but is not limited to hacking attempts, distribution of malware, or any unauthorized alteration of website Content.
  11. Alternate Domains or Third-party Microsites - In alignment with our commitment to maintaining a cohesive and unified online presence, the purchase and use of subdomains or microsites for university, departmental, project, or individual purposes is prohibited unless approved by the Web Governance committee. Any third-party sites must adhere to Willamette’s web standards and guidelines.  
  12. External Links - The Willamette University website may contain links to third-party websites for additional information or reference purposes. Willamette University does not endorse or take responsibility for the Content, accuracy, or practices of these External sites. 
  13. Third-party Tracking Code - Only Web Content Administrators may implement Third-party Tracking Code to the University Website. 
    1. Clear justification must be provided for requests to implement Third-party Tracking Code on any University Website. 
    2. Implemented Third-party Tracking Codes must comply with all applicable privacy laws and any local or international regulations. Audits will be conducted to ensure compliance and to evaluate the necessity of tracking codes. 
    3. Unused or obsolete codes will be removed. Code found to interfere with the functionality or performance of the website will be disabled immediately.
  14. Policy Updates - Willamette University reserves the right to modify or update the Website Content Policy as needed. Users are responsible for reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about any changes.
  15. Accessibility - Willamette University is committed to an inclusive digital space, striving to comply with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and aligning with Willamette's Digital Accessibility guidelines
  16. Restrictions on PDFs and Other File Formats - Whenever possible, Content should be presented in HTML format since it is more accessible, easier to update, consistent in appearance, and better optimized for search engines. Alternative file formats may be more vulnerable to security risks compared to HTML Content. 
    1. The use of PDF (“Portable Document Format”) files, Word Documents, PowerPoints, Excel Files, and Google Suite files on web platforms is restricted and only permitted where absolutely necessary and no other alternative is available. 
    2. PDFs permitted on the site must comply with contemporary Accessibility standards including proper tagging, readable fonts, compatibility with screen readers, and other considerations.
  17. Use of Images, Videos and Multimedia - Images, videos, sound files, and other media may be used to add context, meaning, or otherwise support the page text. These must meet WCAG standards for Accessibility and be free of copyright or used with granted permission.
  18. Procedures - Refer to Willamette’s Website Content Procedures for detailed web-related procedures.

Effective Date: June 01, 2024
Responsible Person/Primary Contact: AVP for Institutional Marketing
Responsible University Office: Institutional Marketing