GVSU CMS User Agreement
Last updated April 1, 2021
Introduction/Purpose
The Grand Valley State University Content Management System (CMS) was created by the GVSU Web Team to facilitate the creation of departmental websites. The quality of content published through the CMS plays a critical role in maintaining the reputation of Grand Valley State University.
This agreement sets the standards to ensure that the information published through the GVSU CMS is consistent with the same standards as other forms of institutional publications created by GVSU University Marketing.
The GVSU Web Team will provide oversight regarding CMS-related issues on campus and will review and change policy, procedures, and/or the structure of institutional pages as needed.
By agreeing to the GVSU Content Management System User Agreement, you understand that you will adhere to the following standards on any new and previously created content. If you do not accept this agreement in its entirety, you may not access or use the GVSU CMS.
Scope and Applicability
As of May 2010, all websites created for Grand Valley State University academic and administrative units must be hosted on GVSU servers (gvsu.edu) and must use the GVSU CMS.
All GVSU websites are required to adhere to GVSU Web Standards. The CMS is not to be used for personal faculty, staff, student, or student organization sites. The CMS is not to be used for academic coursework. Blackboard is the university-approved location for online academic coursework.
Any use of the Internet resources of GVSU for revenue-generating advertising, promotion of businesses not related to GVSU, or personal sales is not allowed. For more information, please read Information Technology's policies and procedures.
Basic Quality Standards
- Current. Page content and resources must be current. This is particularly important when including lists of events, opportunities, faculty, etc. Publish dates on pages should not exceed six months from the current date. Content that is older than six months is subject to removal.
- Audience-oriented. Every page and section within the website should be composed with key audiences in mind. Wording, images, and other resources should be appropriate for the target audiences.
- Goal-oriented. Content must support documented unit objectives. If it is no longer relevant to these objectives, it should be archived offline or deleted.
- Accurate. Page content and resources (links, images, embedded videos, etc.) must provide correct information. Contact the GVSU Web Team for quality assurance tools.
- Complete. Pages and resources should be completed before publishing. Partial pages and "under construction" references are not acceptable.
- Aligned. Content must support and reflect our mission, vision, and values.
- Legal. Content must adhere to federal and state laws and regulations. Note that this clearly applies to trademarks and copyrights, and web accessibility.
- Policy compliant. Content must comply with GVSU policies, including Zoom security.
- Brand compliant. Content must comply with GVSU Identity Guidelines, including the writing standards. Contact University Marketing with questions by emailing [email protected] or by calling (616) 331-2525.
- Original. No stealing image or content from other sites without providing a reference. Plagiarism, Copyright, Web Policies for Academic and Administrative Units
Web Accessibility Standards
Grand Valley strives to be an inclusive environment. As such, it is GVSU’s policy to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
On November 12, 2018, the Grand Valley State University Senior Leadership approved the GVSU Web Accessibility Policy. This policy states that all new webpages published by any university college, school, department, program, or unit on or after the effective date of this policy must conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA Technologies Accessibility Standards and this policy.
For more information about web accessibility and to ensure that your site is compliant, please review the GVSU Web Accessibility site.
For more information, please carefully review the following:
Official Website Graphics Standards
- A variety of logos are available on the Grand Valley Logo page.
- Preferred placement. One of the official Web versions of the GVSU logomark should be placed in the lower right corner of the page.
- Logomarks, wordmarks, and graphics provided by the university may not be altered or changed in any way.
- Any use of art, e.g., photos or clipart, not provided by the university must be relevant to the webpage design, representative of the department, and congruent with the image of the university.
- To not disrupt a webpage design, an alternate logomark or wordmark may be obtained by contacting University Marketing by emailing [email protected] or by calling (616) 331-2525.
- Widen is the official online database of Grand Valley State University photography and is available for anyone with a faculty/staff login. The photos in this database are specifically chosen and are approved for use by GVSU departments.
Failure to comply with the previously stated standards could result in the removal or modification of the page(s) in violation.