Frequently Asked Questions:
Email as an Official Means of Communication with Students
1. Why has the University adopted a policy of using e-mail as an official means of communication?
E-mail is rapidly becoming the preferred means of conveying information quickly and easily to a large number of students. The speed and efficiency of e-mail will improve communications and reduce costs, resulting in important benefits to the University and its students. Similar policies are already in effect at many colleges and universities around the nation.
Cal Poly implemented this policy in 2006 to enable University departments to communicate quickly and efficiently with students regarding upcoming changes, critical dates, and important new services associated with Cal Poly’s Student Administration system. Many business processes supported by the new system will rely on e-mail to communicate with students.
2. What is the meaning of “e-mail as an official means of communication?”
The University considers the use of e-mail in communicating with students to be an effective alternative to the use of land mail or telephones, but it is not the only means of communication. The office or faculty member initiating the message determines the appropriate means of communications, e-mail or otherwise. It is likely that many of the communications students have received by land mail in the past will now come via e-mail. However, there may be times in which e-mail is not appropriate, and other methods of communication will be used.
3. How will I know that an e-mail message is an authentic, official University communication? Who is authorized to send official campus e-mails?
University offices and faculty members should notify students about how they expect to use e-mail for official communications. In addition, Cal Poly departments have been provided with specific guidelines for sending official e-mails which may help you to identify such messages. The guidelines specify that official e-mails must be reviewed and approved by the University manager who is responsible for the information that is being communicated.
We will continue to refine these guidelines to help students distinguish official e-mails from other e-mail messages; however, it may not be easy for you to tell the difference based on the sender and subject. You can expect to receive messages from @calpoly.edu addresses that are not covered by this policy, e.g., from other students, individual faculty, your college or department, ASI, student clubs, etc. While such messages may be of interest and informative, they are not ones you are responsible for under this policy. It is also possible to receive spam or virus-infected messages with a valid @calpoly.edu address that has been forged or spoofed.
As a result, you should evaluate the contents of every communication from Cal Poly before taking any irrevocable actions. If the contents of a message seem odd or unusual, you should take additional steps to confirm the validity of the message by contacting the department.
If you suspect the policy is being violated, you can forward the offending message with full headers to abuse@calpoly.edu for investigation.
4. Will I be required to use an e-mail address assigned by the University, or will I be allowed to use a third-party address?
Official communications will be sent to your University-assigned e-mail address (@calpoly.edu). Therefore, we encourage you to use your Cal Poly e-mail account, available through MyCalPoly, to receive and respond to official e-mails.
If you use multiple e-mail services, but prefer to receive all your mail in one location, you may forward your University e-mail to another e-mail account or service. However, if you do so, you are fully responsible for making sure you are receiving all of your e-mail.
5. How can filtering affect my receipt of e-mail?
Many people use desktop spam filters, or subscribe to an e-mail service that implements these filters. In all such cases, you are responsible for making sure that you are receiving any official messages sent by the University. Official University e-mails will come from an address ending in @calpoly.edu, so you should set your filters to ensure that you receive all such messages.
6. Will technical assistance be available if I need help with this policy?
Yes. For technical assistance, you may contact the ITS Service Desk, (805) 756-7000, Building 14 Room 114. Other questions about the policy should be sent to the ITS Policy Team. Policy violations should be reported to abuse@calpoly.edu.
7. How will new and continuing students receive information and training regarding this policy?
Information about the policy will be provided to new students during Week of Welcome and other orientation sessions, published in the course catalog and schedule, and posted on websites and in other locations frequented by students. The policy and related guidelines will be maintained on the web at http://email.calpoly.edu. Information Technology Services (ITS) will send periodic e-mail notices to students about the policy and related standards, guidelines and procedures. Any staff, faculty and student may contact the ITS Service Desk at (805) 756-7000 for assistance.
8. What is meant by “timely” with respect to official e-mail communications to students?
This refers to the relatively timeliness of e-mail as a method of communicating in comparison to regular land mail. Since the delay between sending and receiving e-mail is minimal, University departments can expect that official e-mail communications will be received and read by students within a day or two of being sent. While departments are encouraged to send official e-mails as far in advance as possible, some communications may be time-critical. So it is recommended that students check their University e-mail daily, but at least twice per week.
9. How will the policy affect me if I don't have Internet access during holidays or the summer?
There are always going to be cases when someone is not available by normal communications methods. Internet access is now like phone and postal service, so it would be the same as if the University tried to call you or send you a letter and you were unreachable through either of those methods. The University can use alternative methods to contact a student if necessary. However, there may be times when e-mail is the only method of communication used..
Departments have been advised to take academic breaks and holidays into account when using e-mail as an official means of communication. At the same time, as a student, you are expected to be aware of critical dates and activities, such as registration, that may occur during summer or other breaks and for ensuring that you have the access you need to engage in those activities.
10. What are the potential consequences if I fail to receive an official e-mail from the University because of spam filters or failure to provide a working e-mail address?
The consequences would be the same as if you did not receive University information through regular mail or any other form of communication. For example, if you do not receive a tuition bill sent by e-mail and you fail to pay by a specified date, your class schedule may be canceled. You are fully responsible for making sure you are receiving all of your e-mail from the University.
