diff --git a/app/views/layouts/_orbit_bar.html.erb b/app/views/layouts/_orbit_bar.html.erb
index 252fc91e1..7936953c8 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/_orbit_bar.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/layouts/_orbit_bar.html.erb
@@ -39,9 +39,9 @@
 					<input type="hidden" name="ie" id="ie" value="utf-8" />
 					<input type="hidden" name="oe" id="oe" value="utf-8" />
 					<input type="hidden" name="cof" id="cof" value="AH:center;AWFID:03de271f1940eea3;" />
-					<input type='hidden' name='domains' value='<%= @site.search["domains"] %>'>
-                    		<input type='hidden' name='sitesearch' value='<%= @site.search["sitesearch"] %>'>
-                    		<%= text_field_tag 'q','',{:class => "search-query span3",:placeholder=> t(:search_nccu) ,:disabled=> (@site.search["sitesearch"] || @site.search["domains"]  ).blank?}%>
+					<input type='hidden' name='domains' value='<%= @site.search["domains"]  rescue ''%>'>
+                    		<input type='hidden' name='sitesearch' value='<%= @site.search["sitesearch"] rescue '' %>'>
+                    		<%= text_field_tag 'q','',{:class => "search-query span3",:placeholder=> t(:search_nccu) ,:disabled=> ((@site.search["sitesearch"] || @site.search["domains"] ).blank? rescue true)}%>
 		      		</form>
                 </li>
 				<% if user_signed_in? %>