Staff Editorial: Don't abuse e-mail privilege
By Bill Kuchman, Kyle Hayes, Megan Baker
Last Updated:4:04 PM EST 10/16/07 Section: Viewpoint
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The recent e-mail calling for "Common Ground" in terms of the influence of pro-life and pro-choice groups on campus illustrated a growing issue at St. John Fisher College. No, the issue is not that of the right to life or the women's right to choose - the issue at hand is that of campus-wide e-mails.
The past few years have seen a dramatic rise in the volume of campus-wide e-mails being sent out by faculty and staff of the College. Students have been bombarded by political squabbling, Donald Trump jokes in honor of the Chinese New Year and classified notices looking for potential roommates for the children of staff members.
Enough is enough.
While the "Reply All" button is a wonderful feature, moderation needs to be taken into consideration before clicking it. One needs to begin asking oneself: "Is what I'm about to send really appropriate for the entire campus? Does it reflect oneself in a professional light?"
The Common Ground campus-wide e-mail sent off a flurry of campus-wide responses. We have to applaud Aaron McGowan, who asked for a cease fire in terms of the campus-wide e-mail volley. "Let your opinions be known where dialogue is called for," he stated. "Exposing the entire student population to this sort of passive bickering is uncalled for and reflects poorly on all staff and faculty members."
E-mail has become a dominant form of communication over the past few years. Many of us would be lost without access to e-mail. Despite this trend though, the flux of campus-wide messages needs to be curbed. The right to send out a campus-wide e-mail is one that most do not have. Clubs must allow students to have the right to opt out of their e-mails. Students do not have the ability to issue a campus-wide statement.
This power only truly rests with faculty and staff. If those empowered with this ability continue to abuse it, action must be taken. If clubs are beholden to restrictions and threatened with sanctions should they violate the limit of campus-wide e-mails they send, then so should faculty and staff. Standards need to be created to prevent the current abuses of the ability to send a campus-wide e-mail. To those responding to McGowan believing that students need to be part of conversations like the Common Ground one, we have this say:
Yes, students will benefit from engaging in the course of discussion when it comes to a potentially polarizing issue like abortion.
But no, the inbox is not the place to wage this war. Students are without the ability to opt out of faculty and staff e-mails. Students are but bystanders in this e-mail fight. Just as faculty and staff should never be forced into squabbles between students, students should not be forced into squabbles amongst those with the right to send campus-wide e-mails.
The ability to send a campus-wide e-mail is a privilege - not a right. Students are inundated with countless e-mails every day. To have their inboxes filled with "passive bickering" only discourages them from checking their e-mail - the very thing the College hopes students begin to do.
The past few years have seen a dramatic rise in the volume of campus-wide e-mails being sent out by faculty and staff of the College. Students have been bombarded by political squabbling, Donald Trump jokes in honor of the Chinese New Year and classified notices looking for potential roommates for the children of staff members.
Enough is enough.
While the "Reply All" button is a wonderful feature, moderation needs to be taken into consideration before clicking it. One needs to begin asking oneself: "Is what I'm about to send really appropriate for the entire campus? Does it reflect oneself in a professional light?"
The Common Ground campus-wide e-mail sent off a flurry of campus-wide responses. We have to applaud Aaron McGowan, who asked for a cease fire in terms of the campus-wide e-mail volley. "Let your opinions be known where dialogue is called for," he stated. "Exposing the entire student population to this sort of passive bickering is uncalled for and reflects poorly on all staff and faculty members."
E-mail has become a dominant form of communication over the past few years. Many of us would be lost without access to e-mail. Despite this trend though, the flux of campus-wide messages needs to be curbed. The right to send out a campus-wide e-mail is one that most do not have. Clubs must allow students to have the right to opt out of their e-mails. Students do not have the ability to issue a campus-wide statement.
This power only truly rests with faculty and staff. If those empowered with this ability continue to abuse it, action must be taken. If clubs are beholden to restrictions and threatened with sanctions should they violate the limit of campus-wide e-mails they send, then so should faculty and staff. Standards need to be created to prevent the current abuses of the ability to send a campus-wide e-mail. To those responding to McGowan believing that students need to be part of conversations like the Common Ground one, we have this say:
Yes, students will benefit from engaging in the course of discussion when it comes to a potentially polarizing issue like abortion.
But no, the inbox is not the place to wage this war. Students are without the ability to opt out of faculty and staff e-mails. Students are but bystanders in this e-mail fight. Just as faculty and staff should never be forced into squabbles between students, students should not be forced into squabbles amongst those with the right to send campus-wide e-mails.
The ability to send a campus-wide e-mail is a privilege - not a right. Students are inundated with countless e-mails every day. To have their inboxes filled with "passive bickering" only discourages them from checking their e-mail - the very thing the College hopes students begin to do.
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