Guide: ISO, UCM / Broadcast or bulk email messages

Purpose

• IT Guideline Number 5.1, issued by University Communications and IT Services, provides the Miami University community with a rationale for and guidelines to the use of broadcast or bulk email messaging

Scope

• Miami University community

Environment

• IT Services Security, Compliance, and Risk Management
• University Communications and Marketing

Rationale (5.1.1)

In order to reduce the number of unwanted messages and the strain they create on electronic mail sources, use of broadcast or bulk email messages is discouraged unless there is a compelling business or safety reason and should be restricted to items of broad interest to the university community. Before considering requesting permission to broadcast an email message, you should first use other methods of communication, such as using a course module or announcement in the myMiami portal, or for faculty and staff, an article in the Miami Wire/Miami Matters.

All members of the University community are reminded to adhere to the Responsible use of computing resources at Miami University.

Guidelines (5.1.2)

1. All messages sent as broadcast email across the university requires approval by and should be coordinated with the Director of University News & Communications, although the President and any Vice President can authorize broadcasting a message
2. These guidelines are not intended to interfere with email used to support classroom instruction nor with intradivisional or intradepartmental communication. When the recipients are all part of a single unit, the appropriate vice president, dean, chair, or director can authorize a broadcast email and can establish separate guidelines for using email within the particular division, department, or office
3. The Director of University News & Communications, working with Information Technology Services, will maintain the list of offices and individuals allowed to send broadcast email messages to faculty, staff, and students
4. Any broadcast emails sent to alumni must be approved by the Vice President for University Advancement (or designee)
5. Any broadcast emails sent to prospective students and/or their parents, except for those from the Admission and Student Financial Aid offices, must be approved by the Provost (or designee) or the Vice President for Student Affairs (or designee)
6. Any broadcast emails sent to parents must be approved by Vice President for Student Affairs (or designee)
7. To meet the Responsible use of Computing Resources policy at Miami University , offices and individuals should not avoid these guidelines by making multiple broadcasts of the same message to smaller groups or by using the university's data bases to create LISTSERVs or address book entries without the permission of recipients

Standards & Definitions (5.1.4)

• For the purpose of these guidelines broadcast or bulk email refers to any single message sent to 200 or more members of the Miami University community (students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni). These guidelines do not apply to messages that are sent to a LISTSERV list or group of email addresses: 
  • created for a class;
  • including only members of a student organization or residents of a residence hall; 
  • where all subscribers signed up voluntarily to receive information

Guidelines Administration

Next Review Date

• 07/01/2021

Responsible Officer

• Vice President for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer

Contact

• Assistant VP for IT Services Security, Compliance, and Risk Management

Approval(s) and Date(s)

• Version 1.0 approved by: Associate Vice President for University Communications and Marketing on April 19, 2006
• Approved by: Vice President for Information Technology & Chief Information on April 19, 2006
• Approved by: President's Executive Council on April 19, 2006
• Version 2.0 approved by: Assistant VP for IT Services Security, Compliance, and Risk Management on July 1, 2013
• Version 2.0 approved by: Assistant VP for IT Services Security, Compliance, and Risk Management on June 11, 2019

Recent Revision History and References

• (none)

Related: Miami University Policy Library: Responsible Use of University Computing Resources