Campus Announcements Communication
| POLICY STATEMENT |
Campus announcements are distributed to employees and current students via the “Announcements” section on the homepage of the university’s website as well as through a weekly e-mail. This policy provides the procedures and guidelines for announcing information on the site and through campus e-mail.
| DEFINITIONS |
Category: Each post in WordPress, the university’s online content management system, is filed under a category. Categorization allows posts to be grouped with others of similar content and aids in the navigation of a site.
Electronic Communications: The use of computers and network systems in the communicating or posting of information or material by way of electronic mail, bulletin boards, or other such electronic tools.
Employee: This generally includes faculty and staff employees who are working on paid appointments by the University. It generally excludes students or temporary employees. For specific information on who is considered an employee, contact the Human Resources Department.
Official web page: A web page presented on behalf of Delta State University, sanctioned by the appropriate Delta State University unit.
Tag: A Tag is a keyword in WordPress which describes all or part of an announcement. It is similar to a Category, but smaller in scope. An announcement may have several tags.
University Computers and Network Systems (University Systems): Computers, networks, servers, and other similar devices that are administered by the University and for which the University is responsible. Throughout this policy, the shortened term “university systems” is used to mean all University computers and network systems.
| PROCEDURES and RESPONSIBILITIES |
Campus Announcements Submission and Approval
Employees and active students must submit requests for campus announcements to be included on the university’s website and through e-mail via an online form, which is accessible from the university’s website. The deadline for announcement submissions to be included in the weekly email is set according to the Campus Announcements E-mail Schedule.
The content for Campus Announcements shall within the appropriate topics and must not violate other policies of the University.
Appropriate topic examples:
- Campus information
- Campus announcements (workshops, events, fundraisers, etc.)
- Campus invitations
- Campus publications
- Off-campus information that is relevant to employees and/or students (community, region, state, national, etc.)
The Vice President for University Relations, or his/her designee, will review all requests for distributing announcements to the campus and will determine if the request is appropriate based on the criteria outlined in this policy. In most cases, a decision regarding the appropriateness of the request will be made within one business day. Communications and Marketing staff will add the information to the “Announcements” section of the homepage of the university website on the same day the announcement is approved, and will distribute the approved announcement via e-mail, in accordance with the Campus Announcements E-mail Schedule.
Announcements Posted on the University’s Website
The “Announcements” section is located on a Class I Official Page (homepage) of the university’s website. The University’s Web Pages policies applies to all announcements posted on the site.
Announcements of the homepage of the university’s website shall utilize the following categories for organizational and distribution purposes.
- Information
- Workshops/Trainings
- Academic (i.e., schedules, deadlines, notices, etc.)
- Hours of Operation (i.e. Dining, Library, Fitness Center, Administrative Offices, etc.)
- Emergency
- Other appropriate categories
Tags for announcements are to be used for additional organizational and distribution purposes. Tags should be consistent with those on the events calendar. Each announcement may be labeled with the following tags, as appropriate:
- Academic
- Alumni
- Athletic
- Community
- Staff/Faculty
- Student
- Other appropriate tags
Announcements Distributed via Campus E-mail
Announcements will be e-mailed to employees and current students once a week according to the Campus Announcements E-mail Schedule. Only the content relevant to each audience will be included. An alias, announcements@deltastate.edu, will be used to deliver the e-mail.
A Mailing List Management (MLM) component will provide the option for employees and current students to subscribe and unsubscribe themselves from the announcements email as well as to customize the content of the e-mails.
Announcements categorized as “Emergency” will not be included in the weekly e-mail, unless appropriate. Emergency communications, urgent communications, and critical communications are handled by the Chief of Police and/or key executive offices.
Guidelines
The Vice President for University Relations, or his/her designee, will review all requests for distributing announcements to the campus and will determine if the request is appropriate based on the criteria noted above.
Individuals sending e-mail communications should take into consideration that it may take several hours for the computer system to distribute electronically the e-mail communications.
The ability to post to University web pages and e-mail lists is a privilege. The University may restrict or remove an individual’s ability to post, with or without notice, if it is determined that the person or the information is in violation of this policy or other University polices.
Questions about this policy may be directed to the Office of Human Resources.
Responsible Office and/or Policy Owner: Vice President for University Relations
| RELATED DOCUMENTS |
- Web Pages policy
- Faculty and Staff Appropriate Use Statement
- Student E-mail policy
- Mass E-mail for Communications policy
- Campus Announcements E-mail Schedule
| STATUS |
Active
| DATES(S) |
- Cabinet Approval: 06/22/2015
