Talk:Allegheny College

What is necessary?

Many of the sections in this article are essentially lists and/or are copied from Allegheny's website. (e.g. "Programs"; "Calendar Year"; "Requirements for Degrees"; "Study Abroad"; "Cooperative and Reciprocal Programs"; etc.) Other sections which give facts and figures (e.g. "Finances" & "Financial Aid") have not been updated since 2009, which is not very helpful (if we're going to have these sections, let's keep them current; what good does it do anyone to know what tuition was in 2009, or in 2006?)

I suggest removing / revising / combining some of these sections. These changes would bring the article better into accord with the articles for similar national liberal arts colleges (and would make it less cluttered and more readable overall). Rmshaf (talk) 15:24, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

I also feel that the page is far too busy in terms of photographs. Many of the photographs are low-quality (they are dim or blurry) and do not contribute significantly to the text or serve to highlight important points; I feel that many of them should be removed and/or replaced. (Do we really need two low-res photographs of Ford Chapel? Does the article gain anything from a photo of the student entrance to the Wise Center? etc.). Rmshaf (talk) 18:23, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

I suggest reorganizing the article like so:

OVERVIEW
(table of contents)
HISTORY
CAMPUS
ACADEMICS

• Rankings
• Programs

STUDENTS

• Student body
• Student life (media, fraternities and sororities, traditions)
• Athletics

ADMINISTRATION

• Location and transportation
• Finances (costs and financial aid)
• Administration, staff, and faculty (alternatively, "faculty" can go under "academics")

Rmshaf (talk) 01:02, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

I recommend checking out WP:UNIGUIDE. ElKevbo (talk) 03:15, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

Very useful, thank you. The guide supports some of my suggestions: e.g. "Because Wikipedia is not a directory, do not attempt to list every major, degree, or program offered."

Altogether, I think we need to update outdated information, remove redundant or non-notable details (e.g. the article noted that Allegheny has a "computer network" with "internet access" and "email accounts" -- what college doesn't?!, and mentioned the Stevenson Institute of Technology's Forbes campus wiredness ranking from 2003), cut down on the sections that are just copied lists, combine sections where possible, and generally tighten the entry up so it's less meandering. I'm not trying to knock anyone's work (much of the article is very good!), but there is certainly a lot of room for improvement, which I am happy to undertake. Rmshaf (talk) 23:52, 22 May 2013 (UTC)