PULLMAN, Wash. — AnswerLine, an online information service of Washington State University, provides faculty, staff and students answers to any questions they might have about the university.
The service can be found at http://answerline.wsu.edu. The site also is linked to the Faculty and Staff and Current Students pages on the WSU Web site. Questions will be answered through a private e-mail, typically within 48 hours.
“Sometimes employees and students want to clarify a rumor they’ve heard, ask about a policy or decision, or ask for basic information about WSU programs and services,” said Barbara Petura, assistant vice president for university relations. “A Web-based answer service is a convenient and private way to ask for information.”
Tim Marsh of WSU Community Relations and University Events receives the e-mail questions and then provides answers. Marsh, who has been at the university for almost 16 years, contacts the right people to get information if he does not know the answer to a question. “Through this service, we are trying to make sure the university is friendly and accommodating to people with questions,” Marsh said.
AnswerLine features an answer archive and a search engine. Since the service made its debut on April 27, Marsh has posted more than 100 questions and answers that can be viewed in the archive.
The university protects the privacy of people who send questions, Marsh said. When answers are added to the archive, the person who asked the question is not identified and the e-mail address is not listed.
“We will be more successful in achieving our shared goals when members of the WSU community are well informed about the university,” Petura said. “We aim to have this service contribute toward the goal of a well-informed WSU community.”
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