Broadcast Email and Mailing List Policy

The purpose of this policy is to provide rules and guidelines for the use of broadcast email and mailing lists, both broadly distributed and targeted, to disseminate institutional information within the Beloit College community.

Definitions

• Email sent from a college-owned domain (beloit.edu) is an official mode of communication for the college.

• Broadcast email is an unsolicited email of identical or substantially similar messages, sent quickly in large quantities, and is recognized as an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly use of technology for facilitating communication within the Beloit community.

• A mailing list is a system that allows an email message to be sent to multiple addresses such that a recipient only sees an address representing the entire list in the To: field, without revealing the addresses of other recipients in the list.

• A tag is an identifier between square brackets– i.e. [Event]– that is placed at the start of the email subject and is used to categorize the purpose of the message. 

• A topic is the subject of a message, or what recipients are asked, offered, or given. Most things have a single topic: “attend this event.” Some things have multiple topics: “audition to perform,” and, “purchase a ticket.”

Broadcast Email Tags 

Beloit College broadcast emails should include one of the following tags in the subject line. Emails which do not fit into one of these categories may not be appropriate for broadcast email:

• [Safety] – Messages which provide resources which help promote or ensure campus safety.

  • Examples: notifications of recent crimes, crime prevention resources, emergency drills, and safety training, cybersecurity resources, health resources for the campus community (flu shots, COVID, etc), expected inclement weather, planned grounds/infrastructure work, etc.

• [Opportunity] – Messages which promote experiences that provide personal or professional growth or a chance to be involved, present, compete, or contribute. While participation is never required, many opportunities involve limited capacity, applications, deadlines, mandatory RSVPs, or expectations for regular attendance.

  • Examples: student club/organization membership and regular meetings, study groups, field trips, internships, fellowships, research projects, presenting at symposia, campus jobs, study abroad, grant proposals, professional development, conferences, training, auditions, contests, submissions to publications or exhibitions, participation in research, nominations, cultural exchange, volunteering, etc.

• [Event] – Messages which promote an event or series of events hosted by or of interest to the campus community. While some functions may have a cost or request an RSVP to help planning, the general expectation is that people can attend and participate freely.

  • Examples: student club/organization events, faculty forum, Thursday lunches, employee study hall, speakers, lectures, panels, theatre/dance/music performances, art exhibitions, film screenings, informational sessions, games, celebrations, group fitness classes, etc. 

• [Services] – Messages which describe campus services and utilities that are available to the campus community. Messages may introduce what services are offered, inform when services are available, or advise when services or utilities will be unavailable.

  • Examples: advising, tutoring, writing center, bookstore, health and counseling, dining, transportation, disability support, diversity, campus office hours, office closings, human resources, IT support, library resources, mail center, planned outages to power, water, internet, etc.

• [Institution] – Messages which facilitate or support official college business or promote tasks or actions that members of the campus community are required to complete. Includes academic procedures, campus governance, and resources which aid the work of the campus community.

  • Examples: tuition payment, financial aid renewal, insurance waiver, intent to graduate, Student Handbook, academic honesty, parking permits, and regulations, senate/council meetings and outcomes, resources for writing course syllabi, attendance reports, academic program reviews, Administrative Policy Manual, HR forms and benefits, employee performance evaluations, committee meetings and outcomes, course registration, course evaluations, etc.

Mailing Lists

Broad distribution mailing lists exist for broadcast email messages as defined above. A message should be sent to a broad distribution mailing list when it contains information from which everyone can benefit. These mailing lists should not be used when the intention is to start a conversation. Anyone wishing to reply to a broadcast email message should reply only to the sender and not the entire mailing list.

The broad distribution mailing lists addressing all employees or all students are managed by LITS.

• facstaff@beloit.edu includes all current faculty and staff, and emeriti faculty. Only faculty and staff can send emails to this address. Broadcast emails are sent immediately to the group with no moderation. It is recommended to use one of the tags listed above in the subject line.

• students@beloit.edu includes all students. Anyone in the campus community can send emails to this address. All broadcast emails will be held for moderation and reviewed during College business hours before being sent to the group. A tag listed above is required, and the emails without a valid tag will be rejected. By default, students will be sent a daily digest message once daily, listing all approved messages that have been added to the group. 

• stualert@beloit.edu includes all students. Only permitted individuals/offices can send emails to this address. Broadcast emails are sent immediately to the group with no moderation. It is recommended to use one of the tags listed above in the subject line. This mailing list should only be used for emergency communications, urgent health/safety issues, or important College business that affects the entire campus.

Guidelines

Please follow these guidelines when sending broadcast emails:

• Messages must be sent from a beloit.edu email address.

• Messages should begin the subject line with one of the following tags: [Safety], [Opportunity], [Event], [Services], or [Institution] followed by the email subject. Tags are required for the students@beloit.edu list.

• Messages should be clear and concise. The body text should provide only the information relevant to all recipients. Additional information or details, if needed, should be provided through a web link in the text to an authoritative source. For example, the beloit.edu website calendar for events.

• Events promoted in mailing lists must first be added to the website calendar before any messages are sent.

• Messages must be accessible by screen readers with all information available in the message text. If images are used, the "alt" attribute for each image must be properly descriptive.

• A maximum of three (3) messages may be sent each term about a given topic to each audience.

  • Repeat messages must be sent at least three (3) days after the previous message.

  • The limit applies to everyone sending a message about a topic. Exceeding a total of three messages on the same topic from all senders collectively is not permitted.

  • A single additional message to correct inaccurate information in a prior message, due to a typo or a change in circumstances, may be sent immediately and does not count towards the sending limit. Please proofread each message you send to avoid needing an additional message.

  • For topics sharing a common theme, like a series of events tied to a residency, it is encouraged to promote the topics together in a single first message, then promote each topic together or individually in a second message(s).

Inappropriate Content

The following are inappropriate uses of broadcast emails:

• Mailings not directly related to college business or activities.

• Mailings in violation of the college’s Ethical Use Policy.

• Mailings intended to provoke a discussion via group email.

• Partisan political campaign activity, expression of personal opinion, or conduct of personal business.

• Unauthorized fundraising or solicitation.

• Anything of a commercial nature that has not been pre-approved by an administrator.

• Any message that harasses, intimidates, threatens, or bullies recipients or includes personal attacks that directly or indirectly target individuals.

Compliance

Failure to comply with this policy may result in loss of ability to send broadcast emails and disciplinary action.

Revisions

This policy may be revised at any time. Major revisions will be described and dated here.

• September 2020 - Initial policy implementation

• November 2023 - Moved from mailman listserv to Google Groups for facstaff email list and simplified the guidelines.

• March 2024 - Moved from mailman listserv to Google Groups for students email list and updated policy.