Website Interpretation

The questions I used to develop an interpretation of the sites/pages were:

• What rhetorical devices were used? To what impact?
• Why did the rhetor construct the message this way?

Instead of compiling the information in the "question/answer" format, my results are given more-or-less in paragraph form. To start each set of results, I have also included what I believe to be the role each person/group was cast in.

MSU MOOREHEAD

On the MSU Moorehead site, I used the following pages:

• Future Students (general admissions page)
• Transfer Students
• Parents & Family

Future Students

• Role Cast: Someone who wants to have what is offered at MSU Moorehead (i.e., diversity, small enrollment, variety of options, etc.).

Rhetorical devices used in this page include a menu that lists all of the things you would expect to see if you are a new student: Information on academics, housing, tours, etc. Other devices are facts about enrollment size, demographics of students, percentage male to female, et al. These devices were constructed and used in this way to give new students the assurance that they will have a variety of options available that will make their college-going experience what they want it to be.

The changing scene at the top of the page also shows a variety of students involved in a variety of activities including classroom instruction, events, and hobbies. It seems to say "You are well-rounded, and we are, too, so join us..." These images were selected to appease both parents and students. Since a visitor to the sight would most likely be drawn to these images first, they had to be images that would attract the whole scope of site users.

Transfer Student

• Role Cast: Someone who wants the comfort and security they were accustomed to at their previous school.

The introductory blurb is carefully constructed of assurances you would want when entering a new place. Phrases such as "You are not alone" and "We have a place for you" comfort the prospective transfer student, and were designed to do just that. Other devices used include the blank outline of the ambiguous person/figure in between the three other students. It aims to say, "you'll fit in here no matter who you are"--of course, it is helpful that the other three students are diverse, as well, as a male, female, and black female are all represented, and purposely so.

Other information includes the easy to access menu of options tailored to the student, a quote that perfectly meshes with everything they claim to offer from a transfer student whose experience has been seemingly perfect, and additional assurances that all of your credits will transfer seamlessly into their program--a top concern of most transfer students.

The above information is nearly self-explanatory in regards to why the rhetor constructed the message this way: They perceived the concerns of a transfer student and reversed the worst-case-scenario to include blurbs about the best possible outcome--classic advertising techniques.

Parents & Family

• Role Cast: Someone who is concerned about their children's education, and especially concerned about attendance.

The home page information for parents and family is short, to the point, and focused exclusively on attendance. Its simplicity is by design. As a parent, you are already overwhelmed by the variables of college: cost, lack of parental control, your child's distance from home, etc. You most likely do not want to be bombarded with a plethora of information, but would rather take in each new concept in easily digestible bites. MSU has made this easy by having a listed menu, small chunks of information with links to other small chunks of information, and all of it is presented without seeming like a blatant sell. The picture at the top was carefully selected, too. It shows students looking at the camera (at you)--it may be saying, "these kids are here today...is yours?"

Other sub-pages of this page offer information in easy-to-understand bulleted lists, and the emphasis is almost always on the cheap or no cost of something, the safety of the student, and the variety of help available to family and students. The tonal shift from the pages intended for students (which advertised the variety of freedoms and choices) to the pages intended for parents (where parental concern of these "children" is a top priority) is as blatant as a hammer to the head.

The messages in the parent/family pages were designed very specifically for the concerned adult who wants the best for their child. All questions have an answer, and the answers are not hidden in overbearing jargon about how great "this and that" is. Adults are more cynical than children, and their tolerance for lip service is generally not as high as an aspiring college student's. "You want answers," they seem to say, "we'll give them, and we'll save the complimentary ass kiss for someone else."

Bemidji State University

On the BSU website, I used the following pages for working on interpretation, and in the final section, I will compare what I found in these pages to the pages explored on the MSU website:

• Prospective Students (Admissions/"At a Glance" page)
• Incoming Freshmen ("Information for Parents" page)
• International Students (Admissions/"Facts" page)

Prospective Students

• Role Cast: Someone who loves the outdoors and its related opportunities, but still wants to get a solid education and life preparation in an intimate setting where you can stand out if you want to, or simply blend in if you like.

The way in which information is presented through word and picture choice is an important rhetorical decision. Rhetorical devices for this page included the picturesque view of Lake Bemidji, with its placid waters and natural beauty. This picture says so much about the outdoor focus and feel of the campus without ever having to read the first sentence. Pictures often say more than words possibly could, but words have their advantage, too. For example, showing a photo of a truck stuck in three feet of snow on the ice would inform someone that students park on the lake in the winter; but instead, its stated in words that: "We match you if you like the idea of free parking on the lake during the winter."

A key rhetorical device that reverberates through the entirety of this page is the concept of "We match you if..." Following this prompt are numerous things that any college student would likely say they wanted (i.e., outdoor opportunities, specialized programs, a variety of activities, etc.). Although a site would obviously not mention undesirable traits, using lists of generalized, positive blurbs is a common rhetorical choice made by institutions for the purpose of persuasion, and this site's page is constructed of messages that are persuasive through and through. This site was designed with an eager college student's want of variety in mind.

Incoming Freshmen's Parents

• Role Cast: Concerned parents who may be confused by the process of their child enrolling in college.

While the information provided, and the way in which it is portrayed, seems to be a genuine attempt at alleviating a parent's concerns, it comes off a bit, for lack of a better word, insulting. MSU just made things short and simple, while BSU actually states that the navigation of the sight is simple and tells you how it works. In BSU's defense, they do start by saying that the search for the right college is stressful and that is why they made things easier, but they do run the risk of insulting the user.

Overall, the BSU site appears to be sincere, and it seems to be a message from concerned adults to concerned adults. As for speaking of the site's user-friendly qualities, "easy" is mentioned, and "simply" is mentioned twice--all in just three small paragraphs--this is intended to assure parents that they can get the information they want without the headaches they don't.

The messages in the parents/family page were constructed in the manner in which they were to reciprocate the same sincerity, concern, and questions that any parent would likely have for their new college-going child. It sounds like a statement from one parent to another, and it is written convincingly so.

International Students

• Role Cast: A student who wants to attend a university in the United States but knows little about what to expect from the university and the area itself.

Images always tend to stand out first when viewing a site. In the case of this page, flags from dozens of nations are displayed (but no people are shown). This appears to say that BSU is faceless, accepting of all creeds and colors, and open to all people regardless of where they come from.

The information presented in the site is specifically designed for people outside of the US. For instance, when talking about our climate, the temperature is not given in the Fahrenheit readout we are used to, but in the more globally accepted Celsius reading. By tailoring information like this, and many other statements, to the prospective international student, BSU stands a greater chance at not alienating the people who may be quite tentative about a strange new country.

The rhetorical choices made when picking words for this page were done as they were to help curb feelings of insecurity, and perhaps even angst, that many foreigners harbor for America. Differing demographics mean differing decisions regarding what you say and how you say it--perhaps that is the single most important element of understanding rhetoric.

Comparison/Conclusion:

Regardless of whom the messages were intended for, all pages exhibited some similar characteristics. First and foremost, the rhetors wanted to tailor their information to the audience at hand. By knowing the demographics of the audience, the respective rhetors could concentrate on the most effective adjectives, terminology, and phrases that would most compliment what they were trying to say (or sell) regarding their colleges.

As for MSU Moorehead, a common thread in all pages was the idea of variety and diversity not only in activities and courses, but also in the people who attend the University. The pages were structured around, and somewhat dependent upon, the idea that regardless of who sought information on any given topic, their common interests were unique opportunities in a diverse environment.

BSU, on the other hand, while also incorporating many of the above-mentioned characteristics, seemed more prone to tailor their "sales pitch" around their physical location. The messages centered around not only the location, though, but also around the interactions that one can have in a pristine and beautiful area of this country.

The most substantial thing to recognize in the entirety of this process is that what we see in the end is the opposite of what was intended--the insight behind the rhetor's choices, not the illusion of the viewer's comfort.