If you will be away from your e-mail for more than a few days, people who send you messages may wonder why you haven't responded. CIT's solution is to use the Time Away Responder (TAR). Here are the basics:

• Using TAR does not affect the way your incoming mail is handled. All messages will continue to be delivered, and will be available to you at any time. So if you unexpectedly get the chance to check your e-mail, everything will be there, waiting for you even though you've turned TAR on.
• Each person who sends you a message will receive a message containing the text you've chosen. They will only receive this "I'm away" message from you once per week. Here's an example:

• Bernie sends you a message on Thursday. TAR sends him your "I'm away" message (and delivers his message to you).
• Bernie and Consuela each send you a message on Monday. Silly Bernie. TAR only sends your "I'm away" message to Consuela (because it's been less than a week since Bernie got your "I'm away" message). Both of their messages to you are delivered as usual.
• Then, on Friday, Bernie sends you a third message. TAR reminds him you're away, since it has been more than a week since he last got your "I'm away" message.

• Your TAR settings affect only messages sent to an address like something@cornell.edu (not addresses like something@department.cornell.edu).
• It does not matter at all where or how you read your messages (Eudora, the uPortal.Cornell E-mail Channel, WebMail, forwarded to some other address, etc.)

The controls for TAR are part of Who I Am, located on the Electronic Mail page. To use TAR,

1. Check the box next to I will be away until
2. Use the drop-down lists to select the date when you want TAR to turn off automatically. The date you set must be in the future, not today and not a date already past.
3. Enter the message you want sent in the text box. Your message should contain, at a minimum, the date you expect to return. The text box cannot be left blank. There is a limit of 255 characters for this message.
4. When you're finished, click the Set it! button at the bottom of this page. TAR will become active immediately.

TAR will remain active until one of two things happen:

• You return to the Electronic Mail page of Who I Am, remove the check in the I will be away box, and click the Set it! button.TAR will be turned off immediately.
  
  OR
  
  
• TAR will be turned off for you at approximately 12:01 a.m. (just after midnight, Ithaca time) on the date you picked with the dropdown date fields.