Faculty Policy for Mass E-Mail Communication

Principle: We should encourage faculty to communicate electronically as widely as possible on matters of common academic concern.

Caveat: We should avoid obvious pitfalls and abuses.

1. A list-server should be established, initially with all full-time faculty names included. Individual faculty can withdraw their names in the usual way.

2. Each term, the procedure for signing on as a member of the list-serve should be sent to all part-time faculty, who have the option to join or not.

3. We encourage faculty to submit messages that deal with events on campus and academic issues of general import, such as matters arising at Senate or other university bodies.

4. We discourage posting of messages that are personal, commercial, or limited in interest to a particular department and not others.

5. Posting of messages is non-moderated, but an impartial faculty member should be named to deal with criticisms made by any member of the list-serve about the postings of another, with power to scold and chide.

6. All list-serve addresses should be the CCSU address of the recipient in order to help avoid outside postings of dubious origin and maintain individual responsibility for postings.

7. Faculty are encouraged to establish list-serves on special topics which other faculty can join. Notice of a new list-serve will be sent to all faculty; thereafter, messages from that list-serve will go only to those who have signed on.

Adopted by the Arts and Sciences Computer Committee March 3, 2000