New UCD Email Policy
Balancing Individual and Business Needs

by Babette Schmitt

 
The University of California Electronic Mail Policy ("UC Email Policy") was issued on March 23, 1998. Section IX of that policy mandates that each campus develop, maintain, and publish its own specific procedures and practices to implement the policy. On September 24, the UC Davis implementation of the UC Email Policy was officially completed: the UC Davis Electronic Mail Policy was incorporated into the campus Policy and Procedure Manual (as P&P Section 310-16), and made available on the Web.

Both the UC and the UCD policies apply to email services operated by campus units and to users of those campus email services. Provisions pertaining to the rights and responsibilities of individuals who use the campus email systems are contained in the UC Email Policy itself. The UC Davis policy focuses on implementing email guidelines for this campus. It covers a number of subject areas, including allowable users and uses of campus email services: the termination of affiliation; service restrictions; and the inspection, monitoring, or disclosure of an email holder's records.

Personal use of the campus email services must comply with allowable use provisions of the UC Email Policy and with other policies regarding appropriate use of University resources, including the UCD Computer and Network Acceptable Use Policy. Examples of unacceptable uses include sending chain letters, threatening or harassing others, using a false identity, allowing others to use a personal computing account, using a UCD account for commercial purposes, and spamming. Remember: never give a password to another person (including a supervisor or relative).

The UCD policy also includes related administrative requirements for all the campus departments and units who provide email services.

"Departments that choose to run their own mail servers are taking on real financial liability exposure, as are the systems administrators involved. They should seriously consider whether or not such risks are balanced by whatever value-add a departmental server represents," says Kava.

The new policy also addresses the current practice of some departments to give accounts to spouses of staff and faculty. All departments are now required to file a Temporary Computing Account for Special UCD Affiliates form with the UCD Email Postmaster for any "outside" account holders.

The policy tries to find a balance between the sometimes-conflicting interests of individual privacy rights and business operational needs. It requires written Vice-Chancellorial approval before accessing any user's email without permission. There are few exceptions.

"We are the only campus, as far as I know, that took their local guidelines and put them through the full P&P process. As technology expands to permeate both business and personal life, such policies represent a community's best efforts to define reasonable boundaries," says Kava. "We can be proud of UCD's collaborative, serious, thorough, and thoughtful approach to implementing the UC policy."

Questions and comments regarding the UC Electronic Mail Policy or the UCD Electronic Mail Policy may be directed to Pat Kava at mpkava@ucdavis.edu.