IX. Guidelines for Electronic Mailing Lists by Major

I. Purpose

The Department of Information Technology has developed e-mail lists for each group of majors in each department within the Schools of Business, Letters, Arts and Sciences and Professional Studies. Non-degree seeking students and undeclared majors are assigned to the list for the Advising Center by the Director of the Advising Center. These lists will be populated from Banner on a nightly basis, effective mid-September 2001.

In order for these electronic mailing lists to be useful, students must be encouraged to declare a major so that they do not miss vital communication emanating from their departments. Moreover, students must be encouraged to set-up their MSCD e-mail account so that they can receive e-mail messages.

With over 50 majors and e-mail lists being developed, it is important for IT to implement a consistent format with consistent guidelines for all departments. IT will provide training and simple instructions to all department chairs and deans to enable them to manage their electronic mailing lists easily.

II. Policy

Subscription to each list will be mandatory to ensure a means for one-way communication from the department to its majors. In other words, students who are majors will not be able to "unsubscribe" from the list if he or she is a major. If a student changes majors, his or her name will remain on the original major list as well as having his or her name added to the new major list. However, instructions will appear at the bottom of each e-mail the Chair sends giving students instructions about how to "unsubscribe" if he or she is no longer a major. In other words, students will continue to receive e-mails from each department in which they have declared a major unless they take action to remove their name from the list. Majors who attempt to "unsubscribe" will be automatically added back by Banner overnight.

By default, students will not be able to respond back to the list. If the Chair wishes to receive individual feedback from the department's majors, then the Chair should include his or her e-mail address in the text of the announcement and solicit comment.

The Dean of the respective department will be included by means of a copy on all communication to the mailing list so that he or she receives the same communication that each major in that School receives. However, the Chair will control the mailing list for each department. Only the Chair and Dean will have authority to send communications to the majors on the list and to add or delete majors from the list. The right to post to these lists is not to be shared with any other individual or entity without prior clearance by the College Attorney. In the event a College official wishes to post to a mailing list, the request must be put in writing and given to the Dean of the respective School for review. The Dean, in consultation with the Chair, has the authority to deny such a request. If the Dean approves the request, a copy should be kept on file in the Dean's Office for future reference.

Approved December 2001