UCLA

I.  PURPOSE & SCOPE

UCLA recognizes electronic mail (email) as a primary method of sharing information, improving communication, transacting business, and exchanging ideas with employees, students and the public.  UCLA’s official mass email service is known as “BruinPost” and is administered by the Office of Strategic Communications, with technical support and maintenance provided by Information Technology Services. Recharged rates for BruinPost services are determined in accordance with UCLA Policy 340: Sales and Services Activities.

The purpose of this Policy is to establish rules of access to, and appropriate use of BruinPost for UCLA departments, units, employees, Registered Campus Organizations with Student Organizations, Leadership & Engagement (SOLE) and academic and staff associations and advisory groups.

II.  DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this Policy:

BruinPost Administrator is the designated UCLA employee assigned administrative responsibility for hands-on access to and use of the BruinPost service.

BruinPost Client is a UCLA employee designated as contact person for BruinPost communications including reviewing and approving all potential BruinPost message content, distribution list selection, and timing of message delivery in consultation with their Issuing Officer and BruinPost Administrator.

Issuing Officer is a University official authorized to designate one or more BruinPost Clients in their area of responsibility, and is an “issuer” of most official campus communiques.

III.  POLICY STATEMENT

University departments, units, Registered Campus Organizations with SOLE, academic and employee associations/advisory groups may send email communications concerning official University business to employees and students by way of BruinPost. BruinPost is the principal campus service for facilitating electronic mass messaging of official University business.

BruinPost emails will comply with all relevant University policies and guidelines including, but not limited to, the UC Electronic Communications Policy (ECP). BruinPost may not be used for unlawful activities; commercial purposes not under the auspices of the University; personal financial gain; fundraising purposes; personal use inconsistent with the ECP; or uses that violate other University policies or guidelines. BruinPost may not be used to publicize campus job openings unless the position is at the dean/vice chancellor/vice provost level and above, recruitment of participants for research studies or speakers or events on campus other than those under the auspices of the Chancellor’s Office or otherwise approved by the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications. Other means of communication are available for such events.

BruinPost is a mass messaging delivery service, but is not an emergency broadcast system for crisis communications, see UCLA Policy 130: Emergency Notifications.

A.         Authorized BruinPost Uses and Recipient Lists

BruinPost may be used for the following types of communications:

• University and campus administrative and academic policy matters;
• Senior administrative and executive announcements;
• Compensation, benefits and other employment-related subjects;
• Campus accounting, purchasing and administrative systems procedures;
• Academic program announcements, nominations and appointments;
• Safety and security issues including communiques required by law or policy where electronic means will satisfy legal or policy requirements.

Requests for other types of business communications may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Initial approval by the Issuing Officer is required but does not guarantee that the request will ultimately be authorized. Consideration and approval by the Chancellor or designee is required for any exceptions to this Policy.

Mass messaging to UCLA students must be coordinated through and approved by the Registrar’s Office, consistent with UCLA Policy 220 (Disclosure of Information from Student Records). The BruinPost Administrator coordinates requests for approval.

Recipient Lists

Care should be used in determining the appropriate recipients of BruinPost mass messages. BruinPost Clients should consult with their Issuing Officer and the BruinPost Administrator to determine an appropriately targeted audience. If a comprehensive database of desired email recipients derived from the principal campus database is not available, ad hoc lists of additional names may be submitted to Strategic Communications by BruinPost Clients for inclusion in the distribution of a BruinPost message. The BruinPost Administrator is responsible for incorporating official and ad hoc recipient lists in the final message distribution.

The principal campus database of email addresses contains other personally identifying information which must be protected and may not be disclosed in the course of accessing names and email addresses for BruinPost messaging.

B.         Who May Use BruinPost Services

The primary purpose of the BruinPost service is to facilitate executive-level communications, and therefore access to the service is limited. Issuing Officers may designate or remove BruinPost Clients at their discretion in their areas of responsibility, and generally in consultation with Strategic Communications. Strategic Communications is responsible for maintaining a list of departments and individuals with designated access.

Issuing Officers

• Chancellor
• Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost

• Deans
• Vice Provosts
• Vice Chancellors
• Academic Senate Chair
• University Librarian
• Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Compliance & Audit Officer
• Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer or Chief Information Security Officer
• Chief Campus or Health Human Resources Officer
• University Registrar

Eligible Users

The following may utilize the BruinPost service provided such use has been approved by their respective Issuing Officer or designee, and the message content is compliant with this Policy (see E., below):

• Faculty and staff employees for purposes related to the official business of the University;

• Campus departments, units whose purpose/mission requires communication to broad segments of the campus population (e.g., Chancellor’s Office, Campus Human Resources, Environment, Health & Safety, etc.), or whose message is deemed appropriate for wide dissemination;
• Academic and staff employee associations/advisory groups authorized to aid campus administration in seeking the views of employees;
• Registered Campus Organizations with SOLE (any organization whose membership is predominantly comprised of UCLA students and/or personnel, is registered with the Center for Student Programming, and abides by the UCLA Regulations on Activities, Registered Campus Organizations, and Use of Properties). These requests must be coordinated through and approved by UCLA Student Affairs.

C.         Who May Not Use BruinPost Services

The following entities may not use BruinPost services:

• Organizations not officially registered with the University or otherwise sponsored by a University department or unit;
• Any organization for commercial purposes;
• Organizations which function as a collective bargaining agent for University employees;
• Non-University organizations soliciting funds, except for charitable organizations that have received prior approval from the Chancellor or designee;
• Non-affiliated organizations;
• Members of the general public.

D.         BruinPost Service Requests

All BruinPost message requests must be submitted via a BruinPost Service Request Form at least three business days in advance of the desired send date. Rush requests for same-day sending must be approved by the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications. Orders are placed online, and proposed email text is submitted simultaneously. The BruinPost Administrator will prepare and send an initial email test and then as many follow-up email tests as required to the requesting BruinPost Client, who is responsible for reviewing and responding to each test with requests for revision(s), if applicable. After a Client has approved a test email, it is scheduled for distribution, archiving, and recharge billing by the BruinPost Administrator. All distributed BruinPost messages must be saved and archived in a searchable database by the responsible BruinPost Administrator and may not be destroyed or altered after distribution. All distributed BruinPost messages to students require approval in advance by UCLA Registrar and submission for archival purposes.

 

E.         Brand Guidelines

All BruinPost messages must follow UCLA brand guidelines and editorial style guide. Recommended word count is not to exceed 800 words. For security reasons, BruinPost messages do not include attachments; the BruinPost Administrator can create Box.com links for any necessary attachments.

F.         Responsibility for Final Message Content and Delivery

BruinPost Clients are solely responsible for final message content. Clients are also responsible for the accuracy, grammar and spelling of all message text, quoted URLs and references. Reissuing a BruinPost that contains errors from the Client will be determined at the discretion of Strategic Communications.  BruinPost Administrators function primarily as technical experts on the features and policies related to the BruinPost service. As such, they can provide supplemental review. Upon receipt of a Service Request Form, the BruinPost Administrator(s) will direct the Client to the BruinPost policy to ensure it has been read and the Client’s responsibilities are understood.

Any message containing content of a potentially controversial or sensitive nature will be forwarded by the BruinPost Administrator to the Office of the Chancellor and to the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications for review and approval before the message may be scheduled for distribution.  BruinPost Administrators must err on the side of caution if doubt exists about the content, or the BruinPost Administrator feels unqualified to render a judgment. The Chancellor; Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost; Vice Chancellor, Strategic Communications may, at their discretion, suspend delivery of any message deemed to be inappropriate for BruinPost messaging.

 IV.       REFERENCES

1. Electronic Communications Policy (ECP), University of California, Office of the President;
2. UCLA Policy 340, Sales and Services Activities;
3. UCLA Policy 311, Access to and Use of University Mailing Lists;
4. UCLA Policy 130, Emergency Notifications;
5. UCLA Regulations on Activities, Registered Campus Organizations and Use of Properties.