Eastern’s student government website has been out of date for more than two years, but with the hiring of a new website designer the website should be fully functional soon.

Student Body President Michelle Murphy wrote a senate bill re-allocating the senate budget to hire the website designer.

Kris Caldwell, a senior marketing major, was hired by Murphy three weeks into the semester to re-do the website.

In the process of re-doing the website, Murphy met with Caldwell during his two required weekly office hours to make sure things were going as planned.

“(The Student Government) has made significant gains, improvements and progress as it pertains to updates to the (Student Government) website at this time,” Ceci Brinker said. “The (Student Government) website is much more user-friendly and informative for the EIU community as a whole.”

Brinker is the adviser for Eastern’s student government and the University Board.

Much of the work for the website was updating and converting student government documents to an online format.

Murphy said she hopes the website is well received by the Eastern students as well as the general public.

“I love the new layout, it’s modern looking,” Murphy said.

Brinker said she believes the changes have been worth the wait.

“Although a major undertaking, student government has made significant gains, improvements and progress, as it pertains to updates to the website at this time,” Brinker said. “The (student government) website is much more user friendly and informative for the EIU community as a whole.”

Along with Caldwell, Mackenzie Rollins, a junior graphic design major, was hired.

Rollins does not work with the website directly, instead, she makes posters for the different events student government hosts.

“After I make the posters, I e-mail them to Kris and he puts them on the website so they are more readily available,” Rollins said.

Caldwell said he enjoys making websites and that it has always been a hobby of his.

“Even though it doesn’t pertain to my major, I have read books on website making and taken graphic design classes,” Caldwell said.

The website is updated, but still has a few additions to be made.

Additions that are being added include online voting, election results, senate member biographies and photos, online student government forms and applications, student government agendas and minutes, the student government constitution and by-laws, its calendar of events and the shuttle bus schedule.

Since the launching of the website, Caldwell has not run into any

more problems.

Murphy hopes that students and faculty alike will also enjoy the website and its new look. “The website is still a work in progress,” Brinker said.

Erin Riedl can be reached at 541-7943 or edriedl@eiu.edu