Guidelines for mailing bulk or broadcast e-mail messages

In order to reduce the number of unwanted messages and the strain they create on electronic mail sources, use of broadcast or bulk e-mail messages is discouraged unless there is a compelling business or safety reason and should be restricted to items of broad interest to the university community.  Before considering requesting permission to broadcast an e-mail message, you should first use other methods of communication, such as using the organization module or an announcement in the University's Intranet (MyMiami) portal.

For the purpose of these guidelines "broadcast" or "bulk" e-mail refers to any single message sent to 200 or more members of the Miami University community (students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni).

These guidelines do not apply to messages that are sent to a listserv or group of email addresses:
     - created for a class;
     - including only members of a student organization or residents of a residence hall; or
     -  where all subscribers signed up voluntarily to receive information.

All members of the University community are reminded to adhere to the "Responsible use of computing resources at Miami University." 

All messages sent as broadcast e-mail across the university requires approval by and should be coordinated with the Senior Director of University Communications, although the President and any Vice President can authorize broadcasting a message.

These guidelines are not intended to interfere with e-mail used to support classroom instruction nor with intradivisional or intradepartmental communication.   When the recipients are all part of a single unit, the appropriate vice president, dean, chair, or director can authorize a broadcast e-mail and can establish separate guidelines for using e-mail within the particular division, department, or office. 

The Senior Director of University Communications, working with Information Technology Services, will maintain the list of offices and individuals allowed to use broadcast email messages to faculty, staff, and students. 

Any broadcast e-mails sent to alumni must be approved by the Vice President for University Advancement (or designee).

Any broadcast emails sent to prospective students and/or their parents, except for those from the Admission and Student Financial Aid offices, must be approved by the Provost (or designee) or the Vice President for Student Affairs (or designee).

Any broadcast emails sent to parents must be approved by Vice President for Student Affairs (or designee).

To meet the "Responsible use of computing resources at Miami University" offices and individuals should not avoid these guidelines by making multiple broadcasts of the same message to smaller groups or by using the university's data bases to create listservs or address book entries without the permission of recipients.