INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES

Policy # 60100

Email Policy

1. Purpose

Electronic mail or “email” is an official method for communication at the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) because it delivers information in a convenient, timely, cost effective and environmentally aware manner. A student's confidentiality issues and security issues must be addressed when using email to communicate official communications. This policy was written to address these issues.

2. Policy

All official email communication will be distributed to VCCS email accounts only. All students, faculty and staff of the VCCS will use their official VCCS email account when conducting VCCS business.

Email is an official method for communication within the Virginia Community College System. Faculty and staff are responsible for reading and responding to email in a timely fashion. Students are responsible for the consequences of not reading, in a timely fashion, college-related communication sent to the official VCCS Student email account.

Faculty members may require email for course content delivery, class discussion, and instructor conferencing and may specify course-related email policies in their syllabi. Faculty may also require students to confirm their subscription to VCCS-provided mailing lists.

3. Procedures

a) All students, credit faculty and staff must receive a GCC email account upon admittance to the college or employment by the college.

b) All official email communication will be distributed to VCCS email accounts only.

4. Point of Contact

Rebecca Blankenship
Director of Distance Education
(540) 727- 3068

5. Approval Date :

Approved by President's Council, October 6, 2003
Prepared by Rebecca Blankenship, Director of Distance Education, September 24, 2003