Replace Giscus with a discussion widget that doesn't require GitHub account

[nate-layman]

Problem

The current Giscus discussion widget requires users to have a GitHub account to participate. Our target audience (research administrators, faculty, staff) largely won't have GitHub accounts, which limits engagement.

Proposed Solution

Replace Giscus with a discussion/comment system that allows anonymous or low-friction participation. Options to evaluate:

• Disqus — widely used, supports guest commenting
• Utterances alternative — similar to Giscus but with lower barriers
• Custom solution — simple form that posts to a database or Google Sheet
• Hypothes.is — annotation-based, academic-friendly

Acceptance Criteria

• Users can leave comments/feedback without creating a GitHub account
• Per-character discussion threads are preserved
• Moderation is possible (spam filtering)