1.0 Purpose

To prevent tarnishing the public image of EckerdCollege. When email goes out from EckerdCollege, the general public may view that message as an official statement from EckerdCollege.

2.0 Scope

This policy covers appropriate use of any email sent from an EckerdCollege email address and applies to all employees, students, vendors, and agents operating on behalf of EckerdCollege.

3.0 Policy

3.1 Prohibited Use. The EckerdCollege email system should not be used for the creation or distribution of any disruptive or offensive messages, including but not limited to offensive comments about race, gender, personal appearance, disabilities, age, sexual orientation, pornography, religious beliefs and practice, political beliefs, or national origin. Employees who receive any emails with this type of content from the email community member should report the matter to their supervisor immediately. Students should report the matter to the Deans of Students Office.

3.2 Personal Use.

Using a reasonable amount of EckerdCollege resources for personal emails is acceptable, but non-work related email shall be saved in a separate folder from work related email. Sending chain letters or joke emails from an EckerdCollege email account is prohibited. Virus or other malware warnings and mass mailings from EckerdCollege shall be approved by EckerdCollege management before sending. These restrictions also apply to the forwarding of mail received by an EckerdCollege employee.

3.3 Monitoring

Email Community members shall have no expectation of privacy in anything they store, send or receive on the college’s email system. EckerdCollege may monitor messages without prior notice. EckerdCollege is not obliged to monitor email messages.

3.4 Official Communications

· Only Eckerd email accounts will be used for official information sent for all faculty, staff, and student communications. Personal email accounts from outside, i.e. AOL, Hotmail, gmail, will not be used.

· Email accounts are used for official student communications, as such must be actively monitored by students.

3.5 Usage of Mass Email Functionality

· Mass emails will only be sent through the Eckerd servers for batches less than 5,000.Batches greater that 1000 should be coordinated with ITS to avoid email bottlenecks. Outside services should be used for larger volume.

· Mass emails should only be used for official administrative purposes when sending to Eckerd email accounts. Official administrative purposes do not include items falling into student activities and clubs; aliases should be used for items such as these.

· Mass email may be used to non-Eckerd email accounts, within the following guidelines. All communications must receive approval before being sent. All communications must be approved by the department manager. Any communications that will include alumni must also be approved by the Alumni Director. Any communications that will include prospective and deposited students must be approved by the Director of Admissions.

4.0 Email Account Maintenance

4.1 Email Account – Email Community

· Eckerd email accounts will become deactivated because of excessive quota or inactivity. Procedures will be in place to try to limit deactivations.

· Eckerd email accounts can have forwards created, but maintenance and delivery accuracy is the responsibility of the student. ITS does discourages this practice.

· Email accounts will be deactivated after 30 days for over quota.

· Email accounts will be deactivated after 180 days of inactivity.

· Email records will be retained for 30 days after deactivation.

4.2 Email Account - Students

· An email account will be generated for all Residential and Program for Experienced Learner students. The account will be created with an original ID and password and that information will be communicated to the student.

· Residential students on college leave or continuing seniors will retain their email accounts.

· Withdrawn students are not guaranteed the same email account if they later return to Eckerd.

· When a student is withdrawn from Eckerd, they will lose their email account when withdrawn.

· Graduates will retain their email accounts until the end of the calendar year after the May graduation date.

· Student on college leave or continuing seniors are expected to maintain their email. If their accounts become deactivated, the accounts will be removed

4.3 Email Account – Faculty/Staff

· All faculty and staff may receive an email account. The forms are available in the Human Resources Office. Email accounts cannot be created until this form is completed correctly and turned into ITS.

· Full time faculty and staff are expected to actively monitor their email account.

· An email account will be removed upon notice of termination from Human Resources, unless the Director of Human Resources requests an extension. An extension can either be 30 days, in cases where departments need the ability to transfer information, or on further notice if the person involved will have an on-going relationship with Eckerd.

5.0 Enforcement

Any employee found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

6.0 Definitions

Term Definition

Email The electronic transmission of information through a mail protocol such as SMTP or IMAP.

Forwarded email Email resent from an internal network to an outside point.

Chain email or letter Email sent to successive people. Typically the body of the note has direction to send out multiple copies of the note and promises good luck or money if the direction is followed.

Sensitive information Information is considered sensitive if it can be damaging to EckerdCollege or its students' reputation. FURPA related guidelines must also be considered in regards to sensitive information

Virus warning Email containing warnings about virus or malware. The overwhelming majority of these emails turn out to be a hoax and contain bogus information usually intent only on frightening or misleading users.

Unauthorized disclosure The intentional or unintentional revealing of restricted information to people, both inside and outside EckerdCollege, who do not have a need to know that information.

Email community Employees, students, vendors, and agents operating on behalf of Eckerd College and making use of the @eckerd.edu email system.

Email account Email accounts are those with a @eckerd.edu extension.

7.0 Revision History

04/12/2005: Original draft

05/04/2005: Revisions to 3.5