Why does removing these ruin the page layout?

Hello,
This is the page I am referring to:
http://www.mines.edu/academic/chemistry/chemgeo_home.shtml

You can view the source code there. Notice that there is a left_menupane.ssi included there. Here are the contents of that:
--------
<!-- left_menupane.ssi -->

<div id="leftmenubar" class="yui-u first">
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="index.html">Department Home</a></li>
<li><a href="dept_overview.shtml">Department Overview</a></li>
<li><a href="academic_programs.shtml">Academic Programs</a></li>
<li><a href="faculty_staff.shtml">Faculty &#38; Staff</a></li>
<li><a href="events.shtml">Events</a></li><br/>
<br>
<li><a href="graduate_program.shtml">Prospective Graduates</a></li>
<li><a href="undergraduate_program.shtml">Prospective Undergraduates</a></li><br>
<br>
<li><a href="http://www.mines.edu">CSM Home</a></li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div>
--------------------
If I remember a <p>&nbsp;</p>, it totally ruins the rest of the page. Why is this?

Thanks in advance.

 

They probably use the p nbsp stuff to fill out the rest of the column. I've had issues like that before where I needed some blank space to fill out a column otherwise it'd render all wrong. The issue is that w/o all those p's and nbsps the column becomes too short and the render is all wrong.

You might want to try a min-width css tag for that column.

 

"otherwise it'd render all wrong."
-Why would it do that? Why would the column be too short if it is separated by dividers?

I will look into the min-width CSS tag.

Thanks for your help.

 

Another question, this is not an efficient way of doing this, is it? It was supposedly done by a webiste-building company.

 

and any halfwit script kiddie can slap the word 'company' on their garbage and some nube who doesn't know any better will slap down money for it... I come across people stuck in that rut every day.

Anyone who calls themself a 'web professional' or has a 'design company' and hands out THAT as their work... just wow... /FAIL/ HARD. It relies on that stupid 'YUI' template rubbish, has inlined CSS on a DEPLOYMENT copy, relies on &nbsp inside paragraphs because the writer doesn't understand the box model, has a bunch of javascript thrown in yet doesn't DO anything with it - and worst of all, there's no actual CONTENT on the home page.

Seriously, if they paid money for that - sue to get it back.

 

I saved the page to my hard disk, I removed all the
<p>&nbsp;</p>
lines, and it looks exactly the same as before. This was the result:

	 <br>
	 <li><a href="http://www.mines.edu/">CSM Home</a></li>
	</ul>
<!-- <p>Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry</p>
        <p>Coolbaugh Hall</p>
        <p>1500 Illinois Street</p>

Code (markup):

Please tell me the browser you are using, or how to reproduce the effect you exposed.

 

I used Firefox and Safari to look at it. That is odd that you didn't have that problem. Thanks for your help.