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Mass Email Policy

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Policy Title Mass Email Policy
Policy Category Information Technology
Policy Approval Date June 9, 2023
Policies Superseded Interim Information Technology Policy, Section I.B.
Responsible Office Marketing and Communications
Related Policies Information Technology Policy
Frequency of Review 5 Years

I. Scope

This Mass Email Policy (“Policy”) applies to all Arcadia University faculty, staff, and students who request to send a Mass Email to a Stakeholder Distribution Group. All capitalized terms contained in the Policy unless otherwise defined within the Policy are defined in Section V below.  

II. Policy Statement

Mass Emails are messages that disperse information to one or more of the University’s Stakeholder Distribution Groups (faculty, staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, families, alumni, trustees, prospective students, subscribers, etc.). This Policy outlines the University’s policy for requesting and sending a Mass Email.  

III. Policy

All Mass Emails must be sent to the office of Marketing and Communication (“MarCom”) for review and approval before they are distributed to the intended recipients and must follow the procedure outlined below, though there are exceptions for Approved Senders (see Section IV.5). This Policy does not apply to any messages of an emergency nature that provide information about an immediate threat to the University community, including timely warnings and emergency notifications as required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, and messages regarding interruptions to the University’s technology resources.

IV. Procedure

Request Process

  1. To initiate a request for a Mass Email, the Requester drafts the message and shares it as a Google Doc with news@arcadia.edu. 
  2. The Requester submits their desired dissemination date, time, and audience in the University messaging spreadsheet. Note that the review, scheduling, and approval of Mass Email requests could take up to a week. Departments that send multiple Mass Email messages throughout a semester or that have regular messaging should contact MarCom to schedule campaigns to avoid last-minute requests.
    1. There is, of course, dispensation for critical, emergency, and time-sensitive messages — many of these would be crafted and sent with the Emergency Management Team, but other offices in need of sending time-sensitive messages should contact news@arcadia.edu to keep them apprised of such critical messages, as there is a good chance such a situation may warrant additional support. 
  3. The Requester is responsible for addressing comments and questions that MarCom staff leave in the Google Doc. Messaging will not be sent until all comments and questions are resolved.
  4. After review and approval, the message is sent either by MarCom or by the department of the Requester, when appropriate and possible.
  5. The Requester is responsible for ensuring the content’s accuracy, presentation, and approval of the final language before the message is sent.
  6. Community members with questions about this process should contact news@arcadia.edu. 

Stakeholder Distribution Groups and Potential Audiences

  1. A Stakeholder Distribution Group is defined in Section V of this Policy.
  2. Requesters should think carefully about the Stakeholder Distribution Group(s) to whom a Mass Email will be sent in order to ensure that the Mass Email reaches the appropriate recipients and not others in the University community to whom the Mass Email does not apply.
  3. Following the University’s Acceptable Use Policy, departments that manage Stakeholder Distribution Group lists (Human Resources, Division of Student Success, Information Technology, Public Safety, etc.) are to share them with MarCom to ensure distribution list integrity. 

Mass Email Formatting

  1. Mass Email messages should be formatted and aligned with the University Editorial Style Guide (Times New Roman or Arial font, 12-point size, black text).
  2. Drafts of Mass Email messages, shared with MarCom in a Google Doc as described in Section 1, should be crafted with the following information in the upper left corner:
    1. To: (Stakeholder Distribution Group)
    2. From: (account and office from which the Mass Email message should be sent)
    3. Subject: (what the subject of the message is)
    4. Timing: (desired distribution date and time)
  3. MarCom may modify any or all of the above details during its review and approval of the request.
  4. The Requester is responsible for ensuring the content accuracy, presentation, and approval of the Mass Email message before the message is sent.

Mass Email General

Mass Emails should: 

  1. be as concise as possible, self-explanatory, clear, and consistent with overall University or departmental messaging,
  2. directly relate to carrying out the business or operations of the University,
  3. share information related to time-sensitive issues that affect many campus community members,
  4. inform a predefined target group of an announcement or event related to their specific role within the University and/or 
  5. relate to significant campus disruptions or occurrences.

Approved Senders

  1. Departments that regularly communicate with University community members via Mass Email (i.e., multiple times a month) can work with MarCom and Information Technology to establish a departmental or office email account that can be used for sending Mass Emails to a Stakeholder Distribution Group. Approved Senders should follow the above process (1 through 4) before any messaging is sent.
  2. At this time, Approved Senders include Public Safety, Human Resources, University Advancement, Faculty Senate/Work and Welfare, Academic Affairs, Division of Student Success, Information Technology, CTLM, AEDI, CASAA, and Student Affairs.
  3. Approved Senders are not individual accounts; they must be office or departmental account addresses that are monitored in case anyone replies to the message.
  4. Offices that would like to explore options to become approved senders should contact news@arcadia.edu. 

Alternate Communication Methods

Not every request will constitute or warrant a Mass Email. Some requests may be better suited for the weekly Arcadia newsletter, social media, MyArcadia, or an alternate University communication vehicle. Each request will be evaluated by MarCom, which may recommend distributing the information via an alternate communication method. 

Failure to Comply

Failure to comply with this Policy may result in disciplinary action, including but not limited to a restriction or revocation of email privileges. 

V. Definitions

Approved Senders: Individuals or departments that have been approved by MarCom to send Mass Emails on behalf of a University department or office.

Requester: An individual acting on behalf of a University department or office, requesting that a Mass Email be reviewed, approved, and distributed by MarCom to a particular Stakeholder Distribution Group.

Stakeholder Distribution Groups: An audience that composes a group of persons within the University community (undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, trustees, prospective students, families, subscribers, alumni, etc.) to which Mass Emails will be distributed.

University: Arcadia University, its colleges, schools, affiliates, divisions, and subsidiaries.

VI. Effective Date

This Policy is effective on the date that it is signed by the President.

VII. Signature and Date of Approval

By: Ajay Nair, President
Date: June 9, 2023

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