All Policies › Information Technology › E-mail and Mass Communications
E-mail and Mass Communications
Responsible Office
Vice President for Strategic Operations & Human Resources
Policy Owner
Executive Director of Innovation & Technology
Policy Contact
Executive Director of Innovation & Technology
Issued
2022-06-12
Last Revised
2026-10-01
On this page: Policy Statement · Reason for Policy · Policy Scope · Procedures · Frequently Asked Questions · Forms · Appendices · Additional Contacts · Definitions · Responsibilities · Related Information · History
Policy Statement
North Central University has established e-mail as an official means of communication with employees and students.
An official North Central University e-mail address is assigned to and required for all students and employees. The university assigns accounts to individuals and prohibits account sharing unless specifically authorized by IT. All users are solely responsible for all functions performed from accounts assigned to them.
Eligibility to access or to use university e-mail services is a privilege granted at the discretion of the university. This privilege is subject to the conditions of use identified in Acceptable Use of Information Technology policy.
The university has the right to send official communications to the university e-mail address.
The university sends official university communications to employees and students by e-mail to an account provisioned by the university with the full expectation that such e-mails will be read by the recipient on a frequent, consistent, and timely basis. A student’s or employee’s failure to receive and read university communications in a timely manner does not absolve that student or employee from knowing and complying with the content of such communications.
The official e-mail address will be used for all university e-mail correspondence lists, for populating lists for classes, and for the official online directories and services. Official communications from university offices will be directed to the official university e-mail account. Accordingly, users are presumed to have received all official university e-mail messages sent to their official university e-mail address.
If an individual has both a student and employee affiliation, the university will provision a separate e-mail box for each affiliation. Employee e-mail services will be provided only while a user is employed by the university. Exceptions may be granted for conditions such as e-mail extensions for emeritus status, retirements, etc.
Personal e-mail
The use of personal e-mail accounts for university business and for university communication is expressly prohibited.
Auto-forwarding – students
Students may elect to redirect or auto-forward e-mail sent to their university e-mail address. Students who redirect e-mail from their official University e-mail address to another address do so at their own risk. If e-mail is lost as a result of forwarding, it does not absolve the student from the responsibilities associated with communications sent to their official university e-mail address.
The university does not assume any risk for email forwarded to a personal account. The university is not responsible for any issues that may negatively impact timely access to university e-mail that you forward to another address. Encountering such issues does not absolve students of the responsibility to know and comply with the content of official communications sent to the student’s official university e-mail account.
Auto-forwarding – employees
University employees are prohibited from either redirecting or auto-forwarding e-mail sent to their university e-mail address. Automation tools such as auto-forwarding, POP, IMAP etc., to move e-mail from a university managed e-mail system are only permissible to internally-administered university e-mail systems.
Manually forwarding university e-mail that contains information classified as Data Level 2 (Confidential) or Data Level 3 (Restricted), as defined in the Information Security policy, is only permissible for valid business purposes and appropriate security precautions such as e-mail encryption must be taken.
Confidentiality and security
Although the university does not monitor e-mail content routinely, users must not assume that e-mail content will remain private and confidential. A user’s expectation of privacy in e-mails and other information systems is defined and limited by the university’s Acceptable Use of Information Technology policy. In addition, e-mail can be altered or forwarded by a recipient without the sender’s knowledge, may also be discoverable in litigation or may be disclosed to comply with a subpoena.
Users may not access, use, or disclose personal or confidential information without appropriate authorization, and must take necessary precautions to protect confidentiality of personal or confidential information, regardless of whether the information is maintained on paper or is found in email or other electronic records.
Other prohibited usage
- Unlawful activities
- Commercial purposes not under the auspices of the university
- Personal financial gain (except as permitted under applicable academic personnel policies)
- Uses that violate other university or campus policies or guidelines
- Use of email as file storage
Use of mass e-mail
Mass e-mail is restricted to information that (i) pertains to the majority of the recipients, (ii) is critical or time sensitive, and (iii) meets one or more of the following standards:
- Alerts the campus community to situations about health and safety risks, as defined in the university crisis and emergency management procedures
- Provides information essential to the operation or execution of business
- Notifies the campus community about changes in university governance, policy, and practice
- Communicates important information from the university senior leadership
University e-mail users must not:
- Send or forward chain letters or their equivalents in other services.
- Spam, (exploiting electronic communications systems to amplify the widespread distribution of unsolicited electronic messages).
- Letter-bomb, (sending an extremely large message or send multiple electronic messages to one or more recipients with the intent to interfere with the recipients’ use of electronic communications systems and services).
- Intentionally engage in other practices such as denial of service attacks that impede the availability of electronic communications services.
Enforcement and restrictions
Use of university e-mail services may be restricted or rescinded by the university at its discretion when required by and consistent with law; when there is substantiated reason to believe that violations of law or university policies have taken place; when there are compelling circumstances; or under time-dependent, critical operational circumstances.
Violations of this policy will be handled under normal university disciplinary procedures applicable to the relevant persons or departments. In addition, a violation may result in: suspension, blocking, or restriction of access to information and network resources when it reasonably appears necessary to do so to protect the integrity, security, or functionality of university resources or to protect the university from liability; disciplinary action up to and including separation from the university; a department being held financially responsible for the costs incurred as a result of a data breach, loss, or illegal disclosure.
Reason for Policy
North Central University has established e-mail as an official means of communication with employees and students and has the right to send official communications to the university e-mail address.
Compliance with this policy helps the university to achieve two goals:
- Improve the successful delivery of university communications to all faculty, staff, and students.
- Reduce the risk of university data classified as Data Level 2 (Confidential) or Data Level 3 (Restricted) going through e-mail systems that are not managed by the university.
Policy Scope
This policy applies to, but is not limited to, university faculty and visiting faculty, staff, students, contractors, volunteers, and guests who are provided e-mail services managed by or for the university.
Procedures
There are no procedures associated with this policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I have to use my NCU email?
A: Yes. The university uses NCU email as an official way to communicate with students and employees and expects you to read it often. Missing a message does not excuse you from knowing and following its content.
Q: Can I use my personal email for university business?
A: No. The university prohibits using personal email accounts for university business and university communication.
Q: Can students forward NCU email to a personal account?
A: Yes, at their own risk. Students who forward email stay responsible for every official message sent to their NCU address, even if forwarding fails.
Q: Can employees forward NCU email to a personal account?
A: No. Employees must not redirect or auto-forward NCU email. Tools such as POP or IMAP may move email only to university-administered email systems.
Q: Can I share my email account with a coworker?
A: No. The university assigns accounts to individuals and prohibits account sharing unless IT specifically authorizes it.
Q: Does my NCU email stay private?
A: Not necessarily. The university does not routinely monitor email content, but users must not assume email stays private. Recipients can forward or change messages, and litigation or a subpoena can reach email.
Q: When can I send a mass email?
A: Only when the message applies to most recipients, carries critical or time-sensitive information, and meets at least one standard: a health or safety alert, information essential to business operations, notice of governance or policy changes, or important information from senior leadership.
Q: I work for NCU and also take classes. Do I get one account or two?
A: Two. The university provides a separate mailbox for each affiliation.
Q: What happens if someone misuses NCU email?
A: The university may restrict or remove email access and handles violations through normal disciplinary procedures, up to and including separation from the university.
Forms
There are no forms associated with this policy.
Appendices
There are no appendices associated with this policy.
Additional Contacts
| Subject | Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Contact & Policy Interpretation | Executive Director of Innovation & Technology | 612.343.4170 | oit@northcentral.edu |
| University Communication Strategy & Management | Executive Director of Marketing & Communications | 612.343.5005 | communications@northcentral.edu |
Definitions
Mass e-mail (internal)
University mass e-mail is an e-mail message sent to any large campus audience.
Student
Any undergraduate, graduate, or professional student. Student status starts upon matriculation.
Matriculation
The time when a student has met all conditions to enroll such as submitting any required deposits or final transcripts.
Responsibilities
Faculty & Staff
- Communicate information to students via e-mail with sufficient time for the student to act upon/respond to the information included in the message.
- Routinely check assigned North Central University e-mail account to review relevant information.
- Employees and students are expected to review messages received through their university e-mail account on a frequent and consistent basis. Individuals must ensure that there is sufficient space in their accounts to allow for e-mail to be delivered. Communications may be time-critical. Individuals should use university e-mail accounts for all university-related e-mail communications.
Students
- Routinely check assigned North Central University e-mail account to review relevant information.
- Employees and students are expected to review messages received through their university e-mail account on a frequent and consistent basis. Individuals must ensure that there is sufficient space in their accounts to allow for e-mail to be delivered. Communications may be time-critical. Individuals must use university e-mail accounts for all university-related e-mail communications.
Related Information
Related Policies & Procedures
- University policy: Acceptable Use of Information Technology
- University policy: Information Security
- University policy: Managing Student Records
Related Legislation
History
Amended
2026-10-01 – Non-substantive updates (e.g., titles and copy errors), updated data classification terms, and added frequently asked questions.
Issued
2022-06-12
Approved
2022-05-12