COMMUNITY AND CULTURE: HumDiv launches official website

The Division of Humanities (HumDiv) aims to produce critical-minded, creative, and socially responsible graduates. This is the brand of Skimmers. This is the brand it continues to carry in digital platforms. This will be the brand of the Division’s official website.

“The website is an initiative proposed as part of CHED IDIG, whose thrust is institutional development,” said Division Chairperson Prof. Susan Mila Alvarez-Tosalem.

The project was initiated back in 2018 with a 14-person Committee, headed by the Division Chair and co-chaired by Ms. Charmie T. Saligumba. The committee members were composed of faculty, staff, and students.

 

CONCEPT AND COLORS

In coming up with a design, Alvarez-Tosalem said they used the University of the Philippines (UP) systemwide official website and other university websites, like National University of Singapore and Columbia University in the City of New York, as design inspirations.

“We wanted it to be minimalist and not text-heavy,” the Division Chair said, noting that they aimed for a look “that’s clean, easy to navigate but comprehensive.”

In conceptualizing the website, the committee made sure to commit to UP’s branding while being able to capture HumDiv’s panache.

Alvarez-Tosalem describes how the digital platform utilizes the University’s trademark maroon and forest green colors according to the UP visual guidebook.

“However, with the use of photos showcasing the projects of the division, that’s how we tried to put some Humanities flair to the site,” she adds.

 

THE HUMDIV FLAIR

School websites are a glimpse of the faculty and culture of an institution. Beyond a way to simply get to know the people in the Division, Alvarez-Tosalem said that it is a “showcase” of the research, creative work, and public service outputs of the faculty.

“That’s why if you look at the website, it features the Division’s outputs and accomplishments,” she noted.

With the intention to strengthen the Division’s public presence, the digital space was made to host HumDiv’s initiatives and projects that would highlight its culture, community, and creativity.

Besides the faculty, the HumDiv website also presents the outputs of its students and student organizations. It hosts a Student Corner where news and feature articles about Skimmers accomplishments and culture are written by the students themselves.

The News and Updates section immediately highlights the University, community, and national partnerships and projects that the Division has been involved in. From different plays, films, and documentaries to radio and literature, this gives viewers an overview of what the Division gets busy with.

It also contains a Directory of West Visayan Writers, an initiative that was completed through the support of the UPV Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension.

The website also provides information on different national and international linkages. This highlights former and current collaborations that HumDiv undertook with media agencies like Film Development Council of the Philippines and Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism; government departments such as Department of Health and Department of Interior and Local Governance; and international companies like Google for Education.

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The Committee that worked and developed the official HumDiv website collated the different insights and comments of the faculty, staff, and students from its two programs, Communication and Media Studies and Literature. The site, thus, exhibits the culture of an entire family bound by its critical-mindedness, creativity, and social responsibility.

Along with the Alvarez-Tosalem as Chair and Saligumba as Co-Chair, the Committee members are: Ms. Eliodora L. Dimzon, Ms. Elaine L. Monserate, Prof. Jude Vincent E. Parcon, Ms. Julie E. Prescott, Mr. Prabhat Ranjan Ubas, Prof. Karen Y. Varona, Ms. Joelie Anne N. Nono, Ms. Rhea M. Sevillo, Mr. Rodel Farparan, Mr. Ruperto P. Quitag, Mr. Orland Solis, and Ms. Nekka Lorelle Abueva.

The Chair notes that significant inputs for the concept and creation of the website were also given by Prof. Kevin Piamonte, Prof. Robert Rodriguez, and Prof. Oveta Villareal. (Ms. Isabella Marie Zerrudo, Division of Humanities, CAS)