Policies & Procedures

Broadcasting Services/Telecommunications/Electronic Mail Communications

Employee Listserv Policy - 6B3

1. PURPOSE
   

   To facilitate and encourage the free flow of information necessary to maintain an informed and engaged University community, SIUE now provides two listservs for use by employees, a structure recommended by the SIUE Faculty and Staff Senates based on feedback from employees. Both listservs are governed by the Listserv Code of Conduct listed below and the University's Responsible Use Policy.
   

   1. "Announcements" Listserv: announce@lists.siue.edu is a moderated listserv for the transmission of timely and officially sanctioned information of general interest to all members of the SIUE community. Employees may not remove themselves from this listserv.
      
      

      Posting to "Announcements": To post to the "Announcements" listserv, employees may send a message to announce@lists.siue.edu. The message will be conveyed to a moderator's queue to determine whether the message is relevant for that list. Once reviewed and accepted, the message will be sent to all members of the "Announcements" list. Please allow up to one work day for the messages to appear on this list. Excluded messages will be returned to the sender with a brief explanation for that exclusion.
      

   2. "Discussions" Listserv: discuss@lists.siue.edu is an unmoderated list used for topical and scholarly exchange among colleagues. Employees may remove themselves from this listserv at any time, but may also rejoin later, if they choose.
      

      Posting to "Discussions": To post to the "Discussions" listserv, employees may send a message to discuss@lists.siue.edu and the message will immediately be posted to the list. To opt out of this listserv, employees may visit the Web site: http://lists.siue.edu/listinfo/, "click" on the "Discuss" link and then navigate to the bottom of the page and follow the "unsubscribe" instructions. Please note this process has changed from the former process.
      

2. CODE OF CONDUCT
   

   The following conditions set forth the manner in which SIUE employees are authorized to access and use listservs created by the University:
   

   1. Terms of Use:
      
      
      1. Using the employee listservs for commercial purposes or personal business (e.g., buying, selling items, advertising) or private gain is prohibited.
         
         
      2. When posting to a listserv, be respectful, professional and courteous. Defamatory, abusive, discriminatory, harassing, intimidating, profane and/or offensive language is prohibited.
         
         
      3. The use of a listserv in connection with contests, chain letters, junk e-mail or "spam" is prohibited.
         
         
      4. The use of listservs to falsely impersonate an individual, group, organization or entity is prohibited.
         
         
      5. Users must determine whether it is necessary to post an answer to an entire list; if a user is unsure, a private e-mail should be sent to the person to whom the user is responding.
         
         
      6. E-mails from one individual to another shall only be shared with members of the list if there is prior written permission from the author of the e-mail.
         
         
      7. E-mails on the listservs shall not be shared with individuals other than employees unless there is prior written permission from the author of the e-mail.
         
         
   2. Modification of Terms: The Listserv Code of Conduct may be modified without notice when it is deemed reasonable and necessary. Other than following the code, the "Retirees" listserv is not affected by these changes in structure.
      
      
   3. Compliance with Other University Policies: All employers and users of the SIUE Network and/or computer systems, including the use of the SIUE listservs as defined herein above, shall comply with the provisions of the SIUE Responsible Use Policy. If there is a conflict between this policy and the Responsible Use Policy, the Responsible Use Policy shall prevail. The Responsible Use Policy may be viewed by visiting the Web site: http://www.siue.edu/its/policies/responsibleuse.shtml.
      
      
   4. Compliance Monitor: The use of the employee listservs shall be monitored by a University official who will have the authority to issue reminders and updates relating to the terms of compliance with the Employee Listserv Policy.
      
      
3. EXCLUSION FROM LISTSERVS
   

   The use of University listservs is a privilege, not a right of employment. The University may restrict or remove a user's access to a listserv with or without notice if such use is deemed to be in violation of the Code of Conduct or the Responsible Use Policy, or is determined to be detrimental to the University's educational mission or reputation. The University will seek the input of the Faculty Senate and the Staff Senate in regard to such decision, either in advance or immediately thereafter.
   

4. EXISTING UNIVERSITY POLICIES
   

   This policy is intended to be an addition to existing University rules and regulations and does not alter or modify any existing University rule or regulation.

Approved by Chancellor effective 8/26/08
This policy was issued on August 28, 2008
Document Reference: 6B3
Origin: OC 8/26/08