NUMBER:                               420

SUBJECT:                              EMPLOYEE BROADCAST E-MAIL PROCEDURE

AUTHORIZING BODY:       PRESIDENT'S CABINET

RESPONSIBLE OFFICE:    COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

DATE ISSUED:                      DECEMBER, 1999

LAST UPDATE:                     FEBRUARY 2002

RATIONALE:   The university has the capability to communicate rapidly and widely to internal audiences through broadcast e-mail. In general this medium should be used carefully and conservatively to maximize the impact of important messages.  Specifically, the use of such medium should be restricted to:

• Sharing vital university information that affects a large number of employees and/or students when timing is a concern. Examples include emergency power outages, mechanical systems failures, storm and other emergency closings, road closings, last minute or urgent changes to the academic calendar, etc.

• Communicating official university news and information of interest to a broad range of employees and/or students.  Examples include the "state of the university" messages from the President and/or Provost, and News & Information Web updates from the Communication & Marketing Department.

POLICY:

Procedure

Authorized parties may send broadcast e-mail messages, and are responsible for obtaining any necessary sign-offs regarding purpose and content. The system will not allow broadcast messages to be sent by unauthorized parties. When sending a broadcast e-mail, all authorized parties, except the President, must type BROADCAST in the subject line prior to sending.

The procedure for sending e-mails to students requires permission from the Office of the Registrar to use and obtain the e-mail list, and technical support from Information Technology.

Authorization

Persons authorized to send employee broadcasts or all-student e-mails are restricted to the President, Vice Presidents,  Vice Provost for Information Technology, and the Associate Vice President for Communication & Marketing.  The Associate Vice President for Communication & Marketing should be informed before the broadcast e-mail is sent to ensure effective coordination with other communications media.

Restrictions

Information of general news value to university employees - such as computer training classes or newsletters about unit activities - should not be sent via broadcast e-mail.  That type of information should be handled through fliers distributed through campus mail and/or by notices sent to Communication & Marketing for posting in the appropriate communication vehicle(s) such as the university's News & Information Web site.

Technical Responsibilities

The Vice Provost for Information Technology maintains an up-to-date list of employee e-mail addresses.

The Office of the Registrar maintains an up-to-date list of student e-mail addresses.

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