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OM 7.3.0 Distribution of Information to the University Community

About This Policy

Effective Date: February 1977
Last Updated: July 2005
Responsible University Office: President's Office
Responsible University Administrator: President

Policy Contact:

Office of the President
president@clarkson.edu

Policy

  1. To provide for the timely and orderly dissemination of information relating to the University, the following provisions are in effect: 
    1. Clarkson Calendar. Items for distribution to the entire campus community should be placed in online in the Clarkson Calendar at www.clarkson.edu/calendar. 
    2. E-mail Distribution. If the Director of News Services or the Director of Media Relations judges an item to be of immediate importance to all or a majority of employees, and the form of the item lends itself to e-mail, Marketing & External Relations will e-mail the message to all employees. E-mails for distribution should be e-mailed to the Director of News Services. The Office of the Vice President for University Outreach and Student Affairs must approve e-mail distributions to students, but the Director of News Services may also approve these distributions if necessary. E-mail distributions for students should be e-mailed to the Assistant to the Vice President for University Outreach and Student Affairs. 
    3. Paper Distribution. If the Director of News Services or the Director of Media Relations judges an item to be of immediate importance to all or a majority of employees or students, and the form of the item does not lend itself to e-mail (large schedules, etc.), a paper distribution will be implemented. Distributions should be sent via campus mail or delivered to the Director of News Services. The Office of the Vice President for University Outreach and Student Affairs must approve distributions to students, but the Director of News Services may also approve these distributions if necessary. Distributions for students should be sent via campus mail or delivered to the Assistant to the Vice President for University Outreach and Student Affairs.

      A paper distribution is defined as unaddressed, multiple and identical copies of a document disseminated via interoffice mail to a targeted group. Personally addressed envelopes to multiple individuals do not need approval.

      All items for paper distribution through the interoffice mail, should bear on the lower right-hand corner of the first page, the word “Distribution” followed by the appropriate Roman numeral as indicated below: 
         I. Faculty
         II. Administration
         V. Technicians, supervisory, clerical, campus safety, and facilities personnel
         VIII. All persons on University payroll
         IX. All undergraduate student mailboxes (primary approval should come from Dean of Students, but may also be approved by the Director of Media Relations or Director of News Services)

      Sufficient copies will be included in the interoffice mail to effect the distribution requested. The department secretaries will see that copies reach those for whom they are intended. 
  2. Questionnaires and surveys generated by students or students organizations and directed to the Clarkson community.

    All proposed questionnaires, surveys, or requests for information generated by students or student organizations, that are to be issued to Clarkson faculty, students, administrators, alumni or trustees through e-mail, the campus mail, or other means must be approved by the Office of the Vice President for University Outreach and Student Affairs subsequent to review and signatory approval by the faculty advisor or course instructor.

    Each survey prepared as part of a course requirement must open with the following disclaimer: “This questionnaire is part of a study to fulfill a course requirement for COURSE NAME, COURSE NUMBER, and is for instructional purposes only. It has no official University sponsorship or affiliation. If part or the whole of this questionnaire seems inappropriate, inaccurate or undesirable to you, you may refuse to participate in this study, or offer corrective a constructive comments as you wish.”

    Questionnaires, surveys, or requests for information that are not student generated or directed at students must be approved by the Assistant to the President for Strategic Advancement. Surveys related to sponsored research should be directed to the Director of Research & Technology Transfer for consideration by the Institutional Review Board.

    If the Office of the Vice President for University Outreach and Student Affairs or the Assistant to the President for Strategic Advancement questions the approval of the survey, questionnaire, or request for information based on ethical concerns, the survey will be referred to the Institutional Review Board for consideration and further recommendations. 

    It is therefore important for students, faculty and others to submit such materials to appropriate offices in a timely manner, allowing several days for consideration as described above

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History

Revised February 1977

Item 3 added August 1977

Editorial Revision August 1982

Editorial Revision November 1983

Editorial Revision September 1991

Revised March 1996

Revised November 1997

Revised March 2000

Editorial Revision January 2004

Editorial Revision July 2005

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