diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/FreemarkerHttpServlet.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/FreemarkerHttpServlet.java
index 2c51b8017..b972e4327 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/FreemarkerHttpServlet.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/FreemarkerHttpServlet.java
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public class FreemarkerHttpServlet extends VitroHttpServlet {
     
     protected void handleException(VitroRequest vreq, HttpServletResponse response, Throwable t) throws ServletException {
         try {
-            doResponse(vreq, response, new ExceptionResponseValues(t)); 
+            doResponse(vreq, response, new ExceptionResponseValues(t, HttpServletResponse.SC_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR)); 
         } catch (TemplateProcessingException e) {
             throw new ServletException();
         }
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/Tags.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/Tags.java
index cf07516b8..8488fd2ae 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/Tags.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/Tags.java
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ package edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.web.templatemodels;
 
 import java.util.LinkedHashSet;
 
+import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
+
 public class Tags extends BaseTemplateModel {
     
     protected final LinkedHashSet<String> tags;
@@ -15,6 +17,7 @@ public class Tags extends BaseTemplateModel {
     public Tags(LinkedHashSet<String> tags) {
         this.tags = tags;
     }
+
     
     /* Template methods */
 
@@ -27,14 +30,8 @@ public class Tags extends BaseTemplateModel {
     public void add(String tag) {
         tags.add(tag);
     }
-    
-    public String getList() {
-        String tagList = "";
-        
-        for (String tag : tags) {
-            tagList += tag;
-        }
-        return tagList;
+ 
+    public String list() {
+        return StringUtils.join(tags, "");
     }
-    
 }
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/User.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/User.java
index e326a7ca3..8c55e19b3 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/User.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/User.java
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@ public class User extends BaseTemplateModel {
         return url;
 	}
 	
-	/* Template methods */
-	
 	/* Template properties */
 
 	public boolean isLoggedIn() {
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individual/BaseIndividualTemplateModel.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individual/BaseIndividualTemplateModel.java
index ec02720d7..401d477bd 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individual/BaseIndividualTemplateModel.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individual/BaseIndividualTemplateModel.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 package edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.web.templatemodels.individual;
 
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ public abstract class BaseIndividualTemplateModel extends BaseTemplateModel {
         return isVClass;
     }
     
-    /* These methods perform some manipulation of the data returned by the Individual methods */
+    /* Template properties */
     
     public String getProfileUrl() {
         return UrlBuilder.getIndividualProfileUrl(individual, vreq);        
@@ -165,13 +166,47 @@ public abstract class BaseIndividualTemplateModel extends BaseTemplateModel {
     public String getLocalName() {
         return individual.getLocalName();
     }   
+    
+    public String nullString() {
+        return null;
+    }
+    
+    public String emptyString() {
+        return "";
+    }
+    
+    public String[] nullArray() {
+        return null;
+    }
+    
+    public String[] emptyArray() {
+        String[] a = {};
+        return a;
+    }
+    
+    public List<String> nullList() {
+        return null;
+    }
+    
+    public List<String> emptyList() {
+        return Collections.emptyList();
+    }
+    
+    public Map<String, String> nullMap() {
+        return null;
+    }
+    
+    public Map<String, String> emptyMap() {
+        return Collections.emptyMap();
+    }
+    
+    /* Template methods */
  
-    public String getSelfEditingId() {
+    public String selfEditingId() {
         String id = null;
-        String idMatchingProperty = ConfigurationProperties.getBean(getServletContext()).getProperty("selfEditing.idMatchingProperty");
+        String idMatchingProperty = 
+            ConfigurationProperties.getBean(getServletContext()).getProperty("selfEditing.idMatchingProperty");
         if (! StringUtils.isBlank(idMatchingProperty)) {
-            // Use assertions model to side-step filtering. We need to get the value regardless of whether the property
-            // is visible to the current user.
             WebappDaoFactory wdf = vreq.getUnfilteredWebappDaoFactory();
             Collection<DataPropertyStatement> ids = 
                 wdf.getDataPropertyStatementDao().getDataPropertyStatementsForIndividualByDataPropertyURI(individual, idMatchingProperty);
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individuallist/BaseListedIndividual.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individuallist/BaseListedIndividual.java
index 799cf33b6..3b93429ae 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individuallist/BaseListedIndividual.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individuallist/BaseListedIndividual.java
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ public abstract class BaseListedIndividual extends BaseTemplateModel {
         return models;
     }
     
-    /* Access methods for templates */
+    /* Template properties */
     
     public String getProfileUrl() {
         return cleanURIForDisplay( UrlBuilder.getIndividualProfileUrl(individual, vreq) );
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individuallist/ListedIndividual.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individuallist/ListedIndividual.java
index 12fbc098b..328b4bfd8 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individuallist/ListedIndividual.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/templatemodels/individuallist/ListedIndividual.java
@@ -15,7 +15,5 @@ public class ListedIndividual extends BaseListedIndividual {
     public ListedIndividual(Individual individual, VitroRequest vreq) {
         super(individual, vreq);
     }
-    
-    /* Access methods for templates */
 
 }
diff --git a/webapp/src/freemarker/ext/dump/BaseDumpDirective.java b/webapp/src/freemarker/ext/dump/BaseDumpDirective.java
index 189474b8d..0d2e12a79 100644
--- a/webapp/src/freemarker/ext/dump/BaseDumpDirective.java
+++ b/webapp/src/freemarker/ext/dump/BaseDumpDirective.java
@@ -81,8 +81,8 @@ public abstract class BaseDumpDirective implements TemplateDirectiveModel {
     }
 
     enum Value {
-        NULL("[null]"),
-        UNDEFINED("[undefined]");
+        NULL("<null>"),
+        UNDEFINED("<undefined>");
     
         private final String value;
         
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/headScripts.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/headScripts.ftl
index f7c8a6488..b1c47905c 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/headScripts.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/headScripts.ftl
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 <script type="text/javascript" src="${urls.base}/js/html5.js"></script>
 <![endif]-->
 
-${headScripts.list} 
+${headScripts.list()} 
 
 <!--[if lt IE 7]>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="${urls.base}/js/jquery_plugins/supersleight.js"></script>
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/scripts.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/scripts.ftl
index 2a00d5432..788403a43 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/scripts.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/scripts.ftl
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 <#-- Template for scripts loaded at the end of the body element -->
 
-${scripts.list}
+${scripts.list()}
 
 <#include "googleAnalytics.ftl">
 
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/stylesheets.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/stylesheets.ftl
index 4cad88372..f9865f2ef 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/stylesheets.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/page/partials/stylesheets.ftl
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 <!-- vitro base styles (application-wide) -->
 <link rel="stylesheet" href="${urls.base}/css/vitro.css" />
 
-${stylesheets.list}
+${stylesheets.list()}
 
 <#--temporary until edit controller can include this when needed -->
 <link rel="stylesheet" href="${urls.base}/css/edit.css" />
\ No newline at end of file