About

Policy 1313 – Mass Email Policy

Effective Date: 9/28/2021

Last Review: 9/28/2021

Responsible Office: University Communications, Information Technology

Policy:

The purpose of this policy is to instruct users on appropriate use of Mass Email, including the students and facstaff distribution lists, and to provide guidelines on sending messages using Mass Email to members of the University community. 

Mass Email may only be distributed by University personnel for Official University Business.  

Communications by individuals or organizations that do not meet the definition of Official University Business or who are not University personnel may not be sent through Mass Email.  Alternative methods of communicating with the campus community may be used instead of Mass Email to disseminate information such as the University Calendar, organizational social media channels, or physical and electronic bulletin boards.

Mass Emails are subject to authorization and approval as set forth herein. 

Definitions:

Mass Email is any unsolicited electronic mailing sent to the entire University community or to large subgroups through the University email system. 

Official University Business includes but is not limited to a message sent by University personnel that:

  • Alerts the campus community to situations about health and safety risks or other emergencies;
  • Provides information essential to the operation or execution of University business;
  • Notifies the campus community about changes in governance, policy, and practice;
  • Informs a select group of people (e.g. faculty, staff, students, members of a specific school or department) of an announcement or event related to their specific role within the University; or
  • Communicates important information from the President, Division Heads, or other University senior leadership.

Official University Business does not include:

  • messages that are not in line with the mission of the University;
  • personal, harassing, or discriminatory messages;
  • political messages; or
  • messages that otherwise violate any applicable law, rule, or policy.

Procedures:

Approvals

No Prior Approval Required:

Authorization to send bulk email is automatically granted in the following three cases:

  1. Local Authority – Colleges, schools, and academic departments are authorized to send messages to their respective students, faculty, or staff without any further approvals.
  1. Official University Announcements – Certain administrative departments that need to make periodic announcements to members of the University community are granted authority to send Mass Email for Official University Business. The following offices have been granted this authority without prior approval:
  • Office of the President
  • Office of the Provost
  • Office of the Registrar
  • Division of Finance
  • Human Resources
  • Division of Administration and Facilities
  • Division of University Advancement
  • Division of Research and Innovation
  • University Police
  • University Communications
  1. Emergency – This policy is not applicable to emergency communications and any Mass Email deemed necessary by the University Emergency Response Team requires no prior approval. 

Prior Approval Required:

The Office of University Communications is the approval authority in order to be granted access to university groups and lists necessary for the sending of campus-wide mass emails. Emails should be submitted through the University’s email distribution tool or sent to communications@latech.edu at least 48 hours before the desired send time.

Edits by University Communications are not suggestions, they are final edits.

Permission to send a campus-wide mass email may not be granted if it does not fit with the criteria detailed above.

Procedures to Send a Mass Email

To promote institutional operating efficiency and network security, the following guidelines are intended to prevent degrading of email services during working hours:

  • A mass email message should be brief, self-explanatory, clear, and concise, and should only be used for important messages relevant to all/a majority of recipients.
  • Avoid sending frequent or repeated messages.
  • Send collaborative messages with others at the University to avoid message redundancy.

The system used to distribute mass emails will not send attachments. Information that would be contained in an attachment should be included in the body of the email.

All messages must include the following at the time of submission for approval:

  • Clear and compelling subject line
  • Name(s) of the person(s) or department sending the message
  • Contact information for the person designated to handle further questions and comments
  • Date intended for distribution
  • Messages should be clear and concise – no more than one page with no attachments.
  • Additional information may be made available via a link in the text of the email.

 

Policy 1313 – Mass Email Policy

Effective Date: 9/28/2021

Last Review: 9/28/2021

Responsible Office: University Communications, Information Technology

Policy:

The purpose of this policy is to instruct users on appropriate use of Mass Email, including the students and facstaff distribution lists, and to provide guidelines on sending messages using Mass Email to members of the University community. 

Mass Email may only be distributed by University personnel for Official University Business.  

Communications by individuals or organizations that do not meet the definition of Official University Business or who are not University personnel may not be sent through Mass Email.  Alternative methods of communicating with the campus community may be used instead of Mass Email to disseminate information such as the University Calendar, organizational social media channels, or physical and electronic bulletin boards.

Mass Emails are subject to authorization and approval as set forth herein. 

Definitions:

Mass Email is any unsolicited electronic mailing sent to the entire University community or to large subgroups through the University email system. 

Official University Business includes but is not limited to a message sent by University personnel that:

  • Alerts the campus community to situations about health and safety risks or other emergencies;
  • Provides information essential to the operation or execution of University business;
  • Notifies the campus community about changes in governance, policy, and practice;
  • Informs a select group of people (e.g. faculty, staff, students, members of a specific school or department) of an announcement or event related to their specific role within the University; or
  • Communicates important information from the President, Division Heads, or other University senior leadership.

Official University Business does not include:

  • messages that are not in line with the mission of the University;
  • personal, harassing, or discriminatory messages;
  • political messages; or
  • messages that otherwise violate any applicable law, rule, or policy.

Procedures:

Approvals

No Prior Approval Required:

Authorization to send bulk email is automatically granted in the following three cases:

  1. Local Authority – Colleges, schools, and academic departments are authorized to send messages to their respective students, faculty, or staff without any further approvals.
  1. Official University Announcements – Certain administrative departments that need to make periodic announcements to members of the University community are granted authority to send Mass Email for Official University Business. The following offices have been granted this authority without prior approval:
  • Office of the President
  • Office of the Provost
  • Office of the Registrar
  • Division of Finance
  • Human Resources
  • Division of Administration and Facilities
  • Division of University Advancement
  • Division of Research and Innovation
  • University Police
  • University Communications
  1. Emergency – This policy is not applicable to emergency communications and any Mass Email deemed necessary by the University Emergency Response Team requires no prior approval. 

Prior Approval Required:

The Office of University Communications is the approval authority in order to be granted access to university groups and lists necessary for the sending of campus-wide mass emails. Emails should be submitted through the University’s email distribution tool or sent to communications@latech.edu at least 48 hours before the desired send time.

Edits by University Communications are not suggestions, they are final edits.

Permission to send a campus-wide mass email may not be granted if it does not fit with the criteria detailed above.

Procedures to Send a Mass Email

To promote institutional operating efficiency and network security, the following guidelines are intended to prevent degrading of email services during working hours:

  • A mass email message should be brief, self-explanatory, clear, and concise, and should only be used for important messages relevant to all/a majority of recipients.
  • Avoid sending frequent or repeated messages.
  • Send collaborative messages with others at the University to avoid message redundancy.

The system used to distribute mass emails will not send attachments. Information that would be contained in an attachment should be included in the body of the email.

All messages must include the following at the time of submission for approval:

  • Clear and compelling subject line
  • Name(s) of the person(s) or department sending the message
  • Contact information for the person designated to handle further questions and comments
  • Date intended for distribution
  • Messages should be clear and concise – no more than one page with no attachments.
  • Additional information may be made available via a link in the text of the email.