New UCC website unveiled
Riverhawk Web replaces UCC Life as student resource portal

UCC students have said farewell to UCC Life, the old student portal. Starting at the beginning of this term, Riverhawk Web replaced UCC Life as the campus portal for student services.

Students can access Riverhawk Web from www.umpqua.edu by selecting the Riverhawk Web option on the banner menu or by going directly to http://www.umpqua.edu/riverhawk-web.

According to UCC webmaster Jeff Tokuda, the main reason for the switch was that Riverhawk Web is “much easier to use than the UCC Life portal.”

Once on Riverhawk Web, users have several options of what to do next. One option is Self-Service Banner, which allows students to review their class schedules or look up their personal financial aid information.

Students can also select UCC Student Email, which is hosted by Google. Faculty and staff sometimes use this email to contact students about registration information and financial aid opportunities.

“I discovered by accident that an email regarding disbursement of my student loan was there,” said UCC student Michelle Richter. “Last year I had an email stating that the financial aid office didn’t have all the info they needed. If I hadn’t found that email, I’d still be waiting on my aid.”

The main feature students access on Riverhawk Web, however, is the Angel Learning link. Many of the UCC instructors have begun using Angel to post class syllabuses, homework assignments and grades. Teachers also use Angel to contact students collectively or individually through Angel’s separate email messaging. Students can change their individual course messaging preferences to forward these Angel messages to their Riverhawk Google mail, or to their personal email.

When students log on to Angel, they are asked for their student ID number and a PIN or password. The password will be the same for users of Riverhawk Web as it was for last year’s users of UCC Life.

Another option from Riverhawk Web is a link to the library database and online resources such as dictionaries and encyclopedias.

The last link on the Riverhawk Web homepage gives students the option of signing up for campus and emergency alerts. Alerts will tell students if the campus is closed for snow or inclement weather or other emergencies.

According to Tokuda, the response from faculty members about the new format has been positive. “I think they felt the old system was clumsy,” he added.

However, the response differs greatly among students. “I don’t see the point of fixing something that wasn’t broken,” said student Michael Bennett, a mechanical engineering major.

UCC student Cole Radford, a computer science major, views the switch as a more favorable move. “It’s awesome. It’s so much easier to use,” Radford said.

What do you think of Riverhawk Web? Let us know at uccmainstream@yahoo.com

The Mainstream is a student publication of Umpqua Community College.