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Rules for Official Email Messages (Official Email Communication)
- Official email messages must involve a direct, personal transaction between the University and an individual member of Harvard community, or convey an important message that needs to be broadly communicated in a time-sensitive fashion.
- Individuals cannot elect to unsubscribe to official email communications.
- The University reserves the right to use email to communicate with individuals at Harvard and strongly recommends that individuals monitor email communications on a regular basis.
- Official email messages will be sent to the official email address on file with the University Directory Service.
Rules for Sending an Official Mass Email Communication
- Mass email messages must be pre-approved by the President, Provost or a Vice President, or another designated senior official.
- Alternatively, a mass email message may be pre-approved by the Dean responsible for all units represented in the target audience or by a designee of that Dean.
- Except in the case of emergency or other exceptional circumstances, mass email messages must be coordinated with UIS Directory Services (directory_services@harvard.edu) or local mail service provides at least 3 days in advance.
- Each mass email message request must be individually approved. No list may be re-used for another message without approval.
- Headers of the email message must include a Reply-to: with a working email address of an individual or group where replies will be received and responded to as appropriate. This need not be the sender.
Appropriate use of Official Mass Email Communication
- Campus-wide or cross-department mass email must be pertinent to the entire population of the target group.
- All messages must be directly related to the University's mission and business function.
- Mass email messages must not be anonymous, and the source or sponsor of the message, as well as the content of the message must be apparent to the recipient from the message headers.
- Mass email messages must be important, and be required by law or University policy and be time sensitive.
- Mass email messages must be concise and to the point and must not have attachments. If more information is required, users should be directed to web sites for further information.
Appropriate mass email message uses include:
- Public Safety
- Announcement of historical significance to the University or the world (e.g. September 11th, 2001)
- Important policy change having widespread impact
- Legal requirement to notify all or part of the community
- University-wide system event
Inappropriate mass email message uses include:
- Sharing with external groups (e.g. vendors or other agents)
- Unverified public service announcements
Emergency Broadcast E-mail
- In case of emergency, the University has central methods of issuing broadcast e-mail to individuals at their official email address (as registered in the Harvard directory.) These official email addresses are usually university mail addresses supported by university mail services providers in the central administration or within individual schools or departments.
- Some broadcast services are managed by University Information Systems; however, the University central administration does not have control over the availability of local mail services within the University or locally managed network services. Accordingly, there may be differing service levels in place in local departments, resulting in the possibility that some mail or network services will be unavailable during an emergency. Additionally, if an individual does not have an official email address in the directory, they will not receive emergency broadcast messages issued centrally.
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