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Use of "vims-business" and "vims-misc" Group Email

PPD-0303

General Principles:

The vims-business and vims-misc email addresses are provided by the Information Technology and Network Services (ITNS) Department as mechanisms for broadcasting messages to members in the VIMS community in a timely manner.  All persons holding a user id at the Institute are automatically included in the "vims-business" address.  Participation in the "vims-misc" (miscellaneous) list is voluntary as individuals can “opt out” of the list.  The business list is used to contact everyone at VIMS with important announcements related to VIMS operations and business.  The miscellaneous list is used for more casual announcements of upcoming events, lost-and-found items, items for sale, etc., that are not related to the business of the VIMS community.  Persons desiring to opt-out of the vims-misc list should do so by using the ITNS Help Request life ring button on the ITNS web page.

The intent of the lists is to foster communication and discussion, disseminate information to all in a timely manner, and to reduce the use of paper copies.  Users are therefore expected to be considerate of the rights of others and to ensure that their postings are of interest to everyone.

Guidelines:

  1. Postings to vims-business should be related to VIMS operations or business and of importance or interest to all members of the VIMS community. Special interest postings should be sent to more specialized lists.
  2. Postings to vims-misc should be of interest to a vast majority of the members of the VIMS community.
  3. Postings to vims-business and vims-misc is restricted to vims.edu email accounts.  Exceptions can be made for business reasons on a case by case basis (e.g., W&M Finance).
  4. Messages should properly identify the originator by name; the return email address alone is not sufficient.
  5. Use of another person's user id, or misrepresenting an originator is not allowed.
  6. Anonymous postings are not allowed.
  7. Use of either group address for commercial or political purposes, such as circulating advertising for products or for political candidates, is not allowed.
  8. Messages that harass or intimidate another person are not allowed.
  9. Complaints should not be aired publicly on the lists, but instead resolved at the appropriate administrative level.
  10. Be considerate in use of the group addresses as group mailings impact shared system resources.  Large messages, forwarded to everyone, put a load on cpu and disk resources.  Messages that include large graphics or attachments should be avoided for this reason.
  11. Misuse of the email system is considered a serious offense.
  12.  Consider the broad range of backgrounds and experiences in our community, and VIMS’ goal to welcome, support, engage and celebrate this diversity when posting messages.