Broadcast Email Policy

Definitions

Broadcast lists are divided into two categories:

• mandatory lists, to which all WCM staff, faculty, and students with ITS-provided email addresses must be subscribed;
• optional lists, to which WCM staff, faculty, and students may subscribe to

As of drafting of this policy, only one mandatory list exists, "WCMC-ALL".

WCMC-ALL Policy

The following departments are allowed senders to the WCMC-ALL list:

• The Office of the President
• The Dean's Office
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Information Technologies & Services
• Facilities Management & Campus Operations
• Environmental Health & Safety
• Office of the Research Dean
• Office of the Clinical Research Dean
• Office of Diversity and Inclusion
• Office of Institutional Equity
• External Affairs
• Physician Organization

Messages sent from these departments will be held for moderation by ITS. The message must pass the following tests before it will be delivered to all WCM email users:

• The message must be informational: it must convey important information relevant to the majority of the WCM community, and not be marketing services or offers.
• The message must be clear: it must contain a descriptive subject, and contact information for the department distributing the information.
• The message must be timely: it cannot have been sent within a week of a previous notification about the same information.
• The message must come from senior leadership of the sending department or from a general mailbox for the department.
• The message must not include any file attachments (including but not limited to images, vcards, Word or PDF documents) or superfluous language in the subject line (including but not limited to names of other email lists or "Fwd:"). Any Zoom meeting invites need to require registration or ensure the meeting is sufficiently secured/moderated.

Authorized departments may not pass along announcements, notifications, or other messages on behalf of other departments.

Optional List Policy

Optional Lists have been created to handle a variety of content that may be of interest to portions of the WCMC community (such as grand rounds, grant opportunities, and community events). Users may opt-in and opt-out of these lists as they see fit. A listing of currently available broadcast lists and instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing is available on WCM Central.

All messages sent to these lists must be sent from a valid, authenticated source. Upon submission of a message, users will receive an email asking them to confirm their intended message. Upon confirmation, the message will be delivered to all list subscribers.

ITS does not manage, maintain, vouch, or is otherwise liable for the content of any messages sent to the optional lists, other than those sent on behalf of the department in an official capacity. The content of each message is the responsibility of the sender.

Messages sent to optional broadcast lists must:

• Be relevant to WCM business or its community;
• Only be sent to the appropriate list(s), as determined by their content descriptions as listed on WCM Central;
• Not be repeatedly sent to the same list in a short time span;
• Not contain any file attachments (including but not limited to images, vcards, Word or PDF documents).

Broadcast users are expected to adhere to all relevant Cornell University and WCM policies, including (but not limited to) the Responsible Use of Information Technology Resources policy. Policy violations or misuse of broadcast services are subject to review by Human Resources, Academic Affairs, or Faculty Affairs.

Escalation

Complaints about the content sent to any broadcast lists (including mandatory lists) may be directed to broadcast-misuse@med.cornell.edu.