Chicago State boasts arguably the most unsuccessful senior leadership of any U.S. public university. Chicago State also boasts arguably the most inarticulate senior leadership of any U.S. public university. Again, anyone wondering why students might not choose to attend our school need look no further than the consistently embarrassing postings on the CSU web site. The top story this morning contains an egregious English error. Does anyone in this administration know the difference between a possessive and a contraction? Does anyone in this administration know when and when not to use an apostrophe? Apparently not, since this is not the first time this kind of mistake has appeared on the front page of the university's web site. If this school is so careless about its public image, what does that suggest about the efficiency and accuracy of its other components? This stuff just makes us all look stupid.
Just in case you thought the mistake in that post was a typo, here's another one from today:
What an embarrassment for what purports to be an institution of higher learning.
I wrote this on September 12. It still seems apropos:
In my estimation, a university web site should be a polished, professional representation of the school. However, our web site is an embarrassment. No one writes perfect prose but the university web site is not some web blog or casual opinion site. The written material that appears on our web pages should be scrupulously edited. It is not like listening to Watson’s extemporaneous ramblings—always turgid, pedantic and inarticulate. The written stuff must be correct when it finally appears. No viable university site should produce the kind of horrific written material that appears on Chicago State’s web pages. If the articles on the web site look plain dumb, we all look stupid. In the same vein, if the university does not possess sufficient self-respect to ensure that its public pronouncements are as articulate as possible, what conclusion is the reader likely to draw?
Such a careless error on a university web site really is disgraceful.
ReplyDeleteSend this photo of the page to the. 'Board'. See if they even care.