Pirate Port Announcements

Guide to Posting Pirate Port Announcements

Pirate Port is a channel for distributing campus announcements to employees, students and other university constituents. General and HR announcements are compiled into a daily digest email that is distributed each afternoon around 1 p.m.

Pirate Port features an automated workflow that streamlines the campus announcement submission and review process. Through a web-based form on Pirate Port, announcement authors can submit announcements to their cabinet representative and marcom or student life for approval and posting. Announcements may be scheduled ahead of time, if desired.

To submit an announcement, follow these steps:

1. On the main Pirate Port webpage, under the "Submit Pirate Port Content" section (in the bottom center), click "Submit Announcement." This form can also be found on the Forms and Resources List by clicking "Pirate Port Campus Announcement Request."
2. The author of the announcement will automatically be set to you, but you can also submit on behalf of someone else.
3. Select announcement type. General announcements go out with the daily 1 p.m. Pirate Port announcement email (announcements posted after 1 p.m. are sent the following day). Important announcements are sent as individual emails immediately upon posting and approval (unless scheduled in advance). It is at the discretion of the cabinet representative and marcom whether an announcement rises to that level. Most announcements are general announcements.
4. Type in your title and message. If you are copying and pasting from another source, please paste your text, highlight it all, and, from the top bar, click "Format" and "Clear Formatting" (scroll to the bottom). Then manually add any font styles (bold, bullets, etc.) and links back into the message. This ensures the text will display properly.
5. If your message is long, please insert an excerpt (around the first 100 words of your message) into the excerpt field. This will be used as a preview for the message with a link to read the full message when space is limited.
6. Upload an attachment if needed.
7. Select your audience(s).
8. Select a start and end date for your announcement.
9. Make sure the "Send this announcement in an email?" box is checked to include your announcement in the 1 p.m. announcement email.
10. Save and submit your announcement. It will then be routed to your area vice president/cabinet member for approval. Once they approve your announcement, it will be sent to marcom (for faculty/staff or faculty, staff and student announcements) or student life (for student-only announcements) for approval. If your announcement is denied at either the cabinet or marcom/student life levels, it will be sent back to you with or without comment and will not be posted.

A few notes:

• The marcom deadline for same-day announcements is 11 a.m. If an announcement is submitted after 11 a.m. to marcom, it will not be included in that day's announcement email. All announcement submissions require cabinet approval before being routed to marcom, so please factor this into your timeline.
• General announcements will appear on Pirate Port from the time they are posted through the expiration date. These announcements will also appear in the daily announcement email once and do not repeat after the first day.

If you run into a technical issue (error messages, etc.), please contact Brian Morgan (bmorgan@whitworth.edu). If you have general questions about the Pirate Port announcement process, please contact Megan Jonas at mjonas@whitworth.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a general and important announcement?

A general announcement contains information that does not require immediate or stand-alone distribution. Important announcements are reserved for occasions when urgent information must be immediately shared or when information requires more prominence and attention. Important announcements are sent out in an individual email, whereas general announcements are compiled into a daily digest email. Important announcements are featured at the top of the Pirate Port announcements webpage.

How do I promote a campus event on Pirate Port?

The Pirate Port announcement system is not the appropriate venue for promoting general events to campus. However, the daily campus events email provides a great alternative.

In order to promote your department's or office's campus event via university email to the entire campus community (both employees and students), please utilize the Event Request Form when planning your event to include promotional information.

The Event Request Form allows you to provide information that will be included in the "Upcoming Campus Events" email that is sent to campus as often as daily. This is a different email from the Pirate Port announcements digest ("Today's Campus Announcements"), which contains announcements that are submitted via Pirate Port and routed through a cabinet representative and marcom before posting.

In order for an event to appear in the "Upcoming Campus Events" email, organizers must choose that option and input details when they submit their Event Request Form. The option is toward the end of the form under the heading "Advance Announcement." Users must select the check box that says "Advance Promotion Email" and input a title and description. The form allows you to specify how far in advance the email will be sent. Please note the Event Request Form should only be submitted for actual events – general activities don't qualify.

In certain cases, Pirate Port announcements may be used to share event information with employees. Exceptions may be made if an event is specific to employees or if special information needs to be shared with employees (for instance, if an employee discount or incentive is being offered). University news releases, which are sometimes about major events, are also shared through the announcements.

If you have questions about these distinctions, please email Megan Jonas at mjonas@whitworth.edu. If you have questions about how to fill out the Event Request Form to make sure your event is publicized, please email Mandy Moore at amoore@whitworth.edu.