Division of Student Life

Policy regarding the Use of “All Student” Broadcast Email Lists

Purpose

Mercyhurst College provides e-mail accounts to all students and considers e-mail as one of several formal communication mediums used for conducting official business between the college and its students. From time to time, it may be necessary for members of the college community to send a broadcast message to all students. This policy designates responsibility to the Vice President of Student Life for overseeing the use of “all student” broadcast email lists, establishes guidelines for sending broadcast e-mail messages, and outlines a procedure for approval and delivery of such messages.

Scope

This policy applies to the following broadcast email lists maintained by the department of information technology:

• allstudents@mercyhurst.edu
• allmainstudents@mercyhurst.edu
• allfreshmen@mercyhurst.edu
• allsophomores@mercyhurst.edu
• alljuniors@mercyhurst.edu
• allseniors@mercyhurst.edu

This policy not only applies to direct use of these broadcast e-mail lists, but also to any action which has the same effect of the use of broadcast e-mail (for example, sending the same e-mail to all students via mail merge).

This policy does not apply to mass merged e-mail messages that contain information specific to individual recipients used by the College in the course of its regular business (for example, messages from Student Financial Services that provide a student with their unpaid balance information, messages from Residence Life regarding an individual students housing point total, etc.).

Types of Broadcast E-mail Messages

• Urgent E-Mail Messages – Urgent e-mail messages are reserved for highly important, time-sensitive campus emergency notices. Such notices may be scheduled for immediate delivery once approved. Notices may include:
  • Security alerts/Clery Act timely warning notices
  • Emergency information
  • Critical health, safety, or infrastructure messages
  • Information required by law
  • Unanticipated events that have the potential to impact a broad segment of the campus community
• Formal E-Mail Messages – Formal e-mail messages are reserved for highly important, non-emergency messages. Such notices may be scheduled for off-peak distribution upon approval. For the convenience of students, the Vice President reserves the right to consolidate multiple messages into a single email for distribution. Notices may include:
  • Federal reporting requirements
  • Official messages from the President or Board of Trustees
  • Messages regarding college-wide celebrations and traditions
  • In addition, the Vice President of Student Life reserves the right to classify messages as “formal” when the information contained in the message is deemed to be “significantly noteworthy.” This exception is applied in rare, unique circumstances (for example, a speech by a renowned diplomat or academic).
• Informational E-Mail Messages – Informational e-mail messages refer to messages that may be of interest to members of the student community, but are not urgent and/or widely applicable to all students. Messages that are appropriate for inclusion include:
  • Campus events, lectures, or meetings
  • Club and organization announcements
  • Fundraising announcements
  • Departmental announcements (e.g. Campus Ministry, One Card, etc.)

Procedure for Requesting Distribution of a Broadcast E-Mail Message

• Messages should be submitted to the office of the Vice-President of Student Life, Dr. Gerard A. Tobin at gtobin@mercyhurst.edu.
• Messages will be reviewed by the Vice-President or designee, who will determine the importance and/or relevance of the message and classify it as Urgent, Formal, or Informational.
• Messages classified as Urgent or Formal will be distributed to the broadcast e-mail list by the office of the Vice-President.
• Messages determined to be Informational will be returned to their requestor and the requestor will be advised that the message is Informational in nature and should be referred to the Director of the Student Union & Student Activities for inclusion in the Tuesday Afternoon. Such messages should be referred to the Director of the Student Union & Student Activities for inclusion in MSG’s weekly student e-mail newsletter, “Tuesday Afternoon.” In order for messages to be included, messages must be submitted by 12 noon on Mondays for inclusion in the Tuesday e-mail.

General Guidelines for Broadcast E-Mail Messages

• Messages should have a descriptive subject and contain a brief, clear, and concise message. If the topic requires lengthy explanation, the message should refer users to a webpage with more detailed information.
• Attachments, pictures, and graphics are generally not permitted, but may be included at the sole discretion of the Vice-President.
• Proper planning is required to ensure that messages are communicated in a timely manner. For most planned events, a week’s notice is preferred when requesting the distribution of a message.
• The Vice-President may grant permanent permission for use of the broadcast email list to other departments. For example, IT may be granted “permanent permission” to distribute important computer virus notifications, Police & Safety may be granted “permanent permission” for the purpose of emergency alerts, etc.
• The Board of Trustees and the President of Mercyhurst College reserve the right to post messages at their discretion and are exempt from this policy.

Download the full policy:

• All Student Broadcase Email List Policy - Includes quick reference sheet [77.2 K]