Email Regulations

EMAIL REGULATIONS & USAGE GUIDELINES

The University's electronic mail (email) resources, exist to support and facilitate its academic and business activities. The email facilities should be used freely, but with discretion and common sense, to aid and enhance communication and interaction between the faculty, staff and students. The University’s email services may be used for incidental personal purposes provided that such use does not directly or indirectly interfere with the University’s operation of its network and email services nor burden the University with significant incremental cost.

It is each employee's and student's responsibility to follow the regulations and guidelines as defined below when using the University's facilities for email. These regulations have been designed to prevent use that could be illegal, abusive, or adversely impact the University or its resources.

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

Any facility, including access to email systems, provided by the University is used entirely at the risk of the user. The University will not be liable for any loss, damage or inconvenience arising directly or indirectly from the use of any IT facility at the University. While the University will undertake measures to protect the security and integrity of data stored on the file servers it is the responsibility of users to make appropriate arrangements for their own data wherever it is stored.

EMAIL REGULATIONS
Using the University’s systems for email to communicate or store messages which falls into any of the following categories is strictly prohibited:

• sexually suggestive material, particularly explicit and pornographic material that violates applicable laws
• material that expresses or promotes discriminatory attitudes towards religion, gender, age, nationality or other groups
• harassment or threats
• any form of “chain” letter
• unnecessary distribution of email messages to large groups of people
• software used for "hacking or cracking" internal or external computer systems, such as viruses, mailbombs and the like
• public messages unrelated to business or academic activities of the University
• messages which intentionally misrepresent the identity of the sender
• opening attachments without taking appropriate precautions for verifying that this will not introduce a computer virus.

Members of the University must not share their username and password of their University email system account with anyone else. Several departments have “generic” email accounts that do not relate to one particular person. It is the responsibility of the appropriate head of department to ensure that use of any such email accounts within their department conforms to these regulations.

Copyright laws and intellectual property rights must be respected and honoured on all occasions.

The University will take reasonable efforts to maintain the integrity and effective operations of its email system, but members of the University are advised that email should not be regarded as a secure medium of communication. You should assume that all messages sent by email are public and might be read by many people other than the recipients. Do not send confidential information by email. Do not send messages that may be embarrassing or may be construed as libellous, harassment, discriminatory or contravene other laws if someone other than the recipient obtains a copy.

You should be aware that email can leave an irrevocable record that may be subject to disclosure through legal proceedings or disciplinary proceedings or any appropriate law which may be held to apply to such transmissions.

“GOOD PRACTICE” USE OF EMAIL
All members of the University are expected to:
• check their University email account at least once a week
• delete unwanted messages immediately to reduce disk storage
• when sending a message, always include a pertinent subject title and focus on one subject per message
• minimise the use of attachments as much as possible (as these take up disk storage space and can be the source of propagating computer viruses)
• check all addresses of the people to whom you are sending a message before sending an email as it is very easy to send a message to the wrong people, especially those with similar email addresses.

Members of faculty and staff who are communicating with people outside the University who may not know you should include a “signature” at the bottom of each such message consisting of: your full name; job title or function; and the University’s name. As appropriate you may also wish to include some (or all) of: your full email address; your telephone number; your fax number; the University’s postal address; and the URL of the University’s web site.

Members of the University are advised that the comparative ease and immediacy of email needs to be tempered with caution: pause and reflect before sending a message as it can be very easy to send ill considered remarks.

AUDITING AND REPORTING
The University does not routinely audit internal or external use of email, but does so only in response to specific problems or complaints. An employee's email may be accessed under certain circumstances, but only with the appropriate authorization and involvement of Director of Personnel Services. A student’s email may be accessed under certain circumstances, but only with the appropriate authorization and involvement of Vice President Student Affairs.