Email Distribution List Guidelines

Purpose
The purpose of these guidelines is to manage the use of distribution lists for the purposes of internal communication of news, events, and official University business through Xavier’s email system. It is designed to be flexible in facilitating communications while maintaining the security and availability of technology resources.    

These guidelines are not designed to limit free speech but are intended to keep your mail volume at a reasonable level. The following guidelines are intended to provide the user community with a set of protocols for the appropriate use of email distribution lists.

Definitions

The Office of Information Technologies has created several master group distribution lists for the purpose of facilitating communication between and among the members of Xavier community. The following Group Distribution Lists are currently provided based on an individual’s primary position:

• Students
• All Employees
• Full-time Faculty
• Full-time Staff, non-Executive
• Executives - President, Vice Presidents, Academic Deans, Associate & Assistant Vice Presidents, General Counsel, Assistant and Associate Provosts, Deans, Associate and Assistant Deans

List Maintenance Responsibility
Information Technologies manages the information contained in the distribution lists through the Banner institutional database. Individual module owners are responsible for the daily maintenance of information for which they have primary responsibility (i.e. Registrar maintains and manages all student records; Human Resources manages and maintains all employee records). Through a process of data exchange between Banner files and records and the Active Directory environment, Information Technologies is responsible, on a daily basis, for maintaining the availability and accuracy of distribution lists.

List Guidelines

1. The people allowed to send to the email distribution list will be managed by: 
   • Students – Marketing and Communications and IT
   • All Employees – Marketing and Communications and IT
   • Full-time Faculty – Faculty Committee Chair
   • Full-time Staff, non-Executive – Staff Advisory Committee Chair
   • Executives – Marketing and Communications and IT
2. The authorization, granting consent to particular distribution lists, should be forwarded to the Information Technologies Help Desk for access to be assigned.
3. Material sent to distribution lists must be related to the group to whom the mail is being sent and must pertain to University business. The distribution lists are not intended to be used for personal or commercial gain.
4. "Timeliness" of the message should be considered; is it "urgent" or can it be distributed by other means (such as Today at Xavier or Employee HUB)?
5. Use of plain black text and web links are encouraged. Use of attachments and graphics, including background colors, is discouraged.
6. Each message should contain the intended recipient(s), a meaningful subject line, and signature block with sender, sender’s departmental affiliation, office telephone number and email address.
7. The message should be related to a one-time event or announcement (not an ongoing activity).
8. E-mails should be edited carefully for content before being sent.  Keep the message brief and to the point.
9. The use of campus email must comply with the Xavier’s Acceptable Use Policy.
10. Campus e-mail distribution lists are not available to non-university entities.