Procedure for Using University Communication Systems/Tools to Disseminate Messages to the Stockton Community
Procedure Administrator: Chief Information Officer
Authority:
Effective Date: October 26, 2020
Index Cross-References: Policy II-85: Use of University Communication Systems/Tools; Procedure 4200: Acceptable Usage Standards of Communication
and Communication Technology
Procedure File Number: 4155
Approved By: Dr. Harvey Kesselman, President
Stockton University provides communication services and tools to its students, faculty, and staff to facilitate the academic and administrative functions that support the University’s mission. These services and tools are not open to the general public, are not intended for general public communication, and are not a forum for the dissemination of confidential information or solicitations. Other means exist to express and to disseminate personal opinions on matters of interest to the campus community.
1. MASS EMAIL
Mass email is any email message sent to the entire campus or a large subset of the same (e.g., all students, all undergraduates, all graduate students, all faculty, all staff). All mass emails must follow these procedures and related University guidelines and be consistent with any applicable State and federal laws. These requirements do not apply to units sending messages within their own unit, school, or division, or to emails in which all subscribers voluntarily sign up to receive information.
Mass email is appropriate for information that pertains to the majority of the recipients and meets at least one of the following criteria:
• Provides information essential to the operation or execution of University business;
• Provides information employees need to perform their jobs or engage with the University;
• Provides obligatory information employees need to know as state employees or state officials;
• Alerts the campus community to situations about health or safety risks as defined in emergency notification procedures;
• Announces major campus events (e.g., Convocation, Commencement, Faculty Assemblies, noteworthy athletic events);
• Alerts the campus community of key processes, procedures, services, and deadlines from Human Resources, Facilities and Operations, and Information Technology Services;
• Communicates important information from the President, Provost, or other University senior leadership.
Faculty, staff, and students may not send a mass email to University email directories unless prior approval is secured (see Section 2 below). Faculty, staff, and students have numerous communication channels and tools that enable the flow of information between teams, departments, organizations, clubs, and other groups, which individuals are encouraged to use before resorting to a mass email.
2. PROCESS FOR SENDING A MASS EMAIL
Administrative departments that are required to make periodic announcements to members of the Stockton community can send mass emails to the predetermined mass email lists via the email system, maintained by ITS, for matters of University business and in compliance with all pertinent policies and procedures.
Members of the campus community and offices authorized to send mass emails include:
Office of the President
Office of the Provost
Public Safety
Facilities and Operations
Information Technology Services
Human Resources
Members of the Cabinet and/or their designees
President of the Faculty Senate
Union Presidents
Office of the Dean of Students (for messages sent to student lists)
All other individuals intending to communicate through the predetermined mass email lists will require prior approval from their Divisional Executive. Requests will be reviewed by University-designated moderators before being accepted or denied for distribution. If approved, the message is sent to the intended mass email list (for example, sent to faculty@stockton.edu or staff@stockton.edu).
Emails intended for all faculty shall be approved by the Office of the Provost, and those for students shall be approved by the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs or the Dean of Students. Emails intended for all staff shall be approved by the Divisional Executive of the proposed email sender.
Approval of a mass email message may take up to three (3) working days before being delivered to the intended community. If time sensitive material is being distributed, please contact your Divisional Executive to request an expedited approval process.
3. ENFORCEMENT
Failure to comply with this Procedure and the associated policy may result in limitation, suspension, or revocation of the sender’s emailing privileges, assessment of fees to cover damages incurred, and referral for disciplinary action.
Faculty, staff, and students should refrain from requesting data files of email addresses or sending mass email using the University directory. University email addresses may not be sold, copied, distributed, or used for purposes other than University business. The "Acceptable Usage Standards of Communication and Communication Technology" procedure addresses the misuse of email information and the sanctions for doing so.
Complaints about alleged mass email violations should be sent to the Chief Information Officer. The complaint will be referred for consideration to the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Institutional Compliance, and/or the Office General Counsel as appropriate.
4. SURVEYS
Academic and administrative units, committees, registered student organizations, work groups, and other groups affiliated for particular University purposes may survey their membership by email if it is relevant to the group’s business or concerns. For example, a survey may be conducted with the faculty or students within an academic program for administrative and assessment purposes; administrative units, committees, or registered student organizations may survey their constituents about matters related to governance or internal concerns; and event or program administrators may survey participants for assessment and program evaluation purposes.
All other surveys conducted by email, particularly surveys in which the intended subjects are outside of the surveyor’s “regular constituency,” or would perceive the survey request as “unsolicited,” must receive prior approval by the appropriate University office(s). If a proposed survey involves related follow-up or sequential surveys and clearly describes these in the initial request for approval, the subsequent surveys will not require separate approvals if the initial proposal is approved. Surveys also may require review and approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Surveys intended to include students must be approved by and coordinated through the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Surveys intended to include employees must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Office of Human Resources, which may also consult with or obtain approval from the appropriate collective bargaining unit(s). All individuals sending surveys to faculty, staff, and/or other Stockton community members must obtain approval from their Divisional Executive before being sent.
Mass email associated with a survey should be minimal in content, containing an invitation to the survey explaining its purpose and providing a link to the survey itself at a separate website. Survey requests from non-University requestors generally are not permitted.
Review History:
Procedure Administrator 10/08/2020
Divisional Executive 10/09/2020
General Counsel 10/14/2020
Cabinet 10/22/2020
President 10/26/2020
