As a group elected to represent the student body, student government devotes much time to fostering communication with their constituents. Increased communication between the government and students is on many candidates' campaign platforms.

But some students question why the student government Web page still lists the names of student government officers and senate members from the 1999-2000 term as well as last year's meeting schedule and minutes.

Current government officials, however, view the web page as impractical and uneconomical under its original operation. They have chosen to temporarily discontinue upkeep of a site formed by previous officers and to devote their time to programs that will better benefit the student body.

"Last year's administration spent tons of money creating (the page), and it was purely constructed to the vanity of that administration," Brian O'Donoghue, student body president, said.

Upon taking office this year, he and vice president Brooke Norton consulted their advisers regarding the Web page.

"We were not allowed to contract off campus with a Web design company, but we were also not allocated a large enough amount of money to contract with an on-campus provider," Norton said.

"We believe students would rather see their money go to programming events than to a website. Furthermore, the counter indicated that last year not many students visited the Web page," said O'Donoghue.

So O'Donoghue and Norton opted to use The Observer, Scholastic and class list serves as forums for communication, confident that these types of outlets would reach a greater number of students.

As student body president-elect, Norton expressed interest in revamping the Web page next year.

"I would like to lobby for more money with which to construct our Web page. If this is not possible, I will ensure that the Web page is updated by the technology division ... There are many talented students on this campus that I know would be willing to contribute to the Web page. We would also like to make it more interactive, provide links to various organizations and advertise the address. Ideally, I would like for it to be another forum for student suggestions," she said.

According to Norton, a successful student government Web page would feature a list of members and their e-mail addresses, a message board, updates on events and projects, the student union calendar and more specific information on the current and upcoming programs and services.

O'Donoghue added that students can find the basic contact information formerly placed on the student government page in the phone book or on the Notre Dame Web site.

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