Information on the University Policy on Electronic Mail

In February 2005 the University Policy Office promulgated University Policy 5.5, Stewardship and Custodianship of Electronic Mail. This new policy sets the rules for disclosing to third parties the contents of electronic mail transmitted and stored on the university's network.

To review a Powerpoint presentation on this policy, please see UCPL.E-mail.ppt

The specific circumstances for allowing such disclosure are:

• to respond to compulsory legal papers,
• where there is reasonable suspicion of a violation of law or policy,
• for a legitimate business purpose, and
• in the event of a health or safety emergency

and the policy outlines procedures specific to each circumstance.

For more information about the legal and policy factors shaping this policy, please see our Data Stewardship and Custodianship Policy Background page.

How should employees handle business e-mail when away from their computers for an extended period?

This policy covers situations where the e-mail recipient is away from their account for an extended period. Refer to Section C. The Information is Necessary to Conduct University Business. If you as a non-academic employee are unable to respond to business e-mail (for example, while you are on vacation or traveling on business), you must make provisions that allow someone else to access these messages. Two methods are outlined below. The first method usually provides the best results for you and for your office for the handling of business mail. Two methods are outlined here. We strongly recommend the first method.

The Better Method

One solution that works for many situations in the Cornell community is to establish special mailbox addresses to be used instead of personal e-mail addresses. For example, if you work at the Big Red Research Center, your unit could establish BRRC@cornell.edu. (You can set up as many special mailboxes as you need.) When you go away on vacation, someone else can check those messages; any personal messages you receive at your NetID@cornell.edu address will remain private. Please note that you can set up a special mailbox at any time, and use it all the time, so the people sending you messages only need to know one address, whether you're there or not.

The Basics of Special Mailboxes (Policies & Rules, Applying for a Special Mailbox, Configuring)

Who Gets the Messages? (Using Who I Am to direct the mail)

Separating Business Mail from Special Mailbox Messages (Using filters to automatically organize incoming messages)

The Other Method

There is another method that can work for people who only occationally receive messages that will need to be dealt with in their absense, but it has a couple of shortcomings, so we still recommend you use the other method for ensuring timely business communication. Your Who I Am settings include a "Time Away Responder" option that will automatically let people who send you messages know that you are away. You can customize the message they get to include, for example, the address of the person they should contact in your absense. (Their message to you will be delivered to your mailbox as it normally is, so it will be available to you when you return.) Learn more at our Time Away Responder web page.

What's Wrong With this Method?

Unless people carefully read the "I am away" message, they won't know who to contact if they need a response while you're away. And then they have to send the message again. And, when you return, you'll have to check with them to see if their issue was dealt with to their satisfaction. In general, this method is just a little more work for everybody.