Email - D106

ISSUED BY

Office of the Enterprise Chief Information Officer

REVISED

December 18, 2018

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

This policy applies to all users of email services provided by Stony Brook University, including West Campus, East Campus, Stony Brook University Hospital, the Long Island Veterans Home, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, and other units as may come under management of the University. Guidelines adopted by a division or department to meet specific academic or administrative needs must comply with this policy and with policies on the use of Stony Brook University information technology resources established by the Division of Information Technology.
 

POLICY

This policy establishes email as one of the University’s official means of communication with students, faculty and staff, and sets forth obligations members of the University community have regarding email use.

Access and Usage

Email resources are, by default, provided to all students, faculty, and staff by Stony Brook University to support its education, research, public service, and health care missions. Users of University email systems are responsible for the proper use and protection of those resources. Access to Stony Brook University’s email is a privilege that may be wholly or partially restricted by the University without prior notice and without the consent of the user when required by and consistent with applicable laws and regulations. 
 

Conditions for Use of Stony Brook University Email Accounts

• Although every effort is made to preserve the integrity of the University email services(s), users should be aware that the interception of email messages on shared networks is possible. Highly sensitive or confidential information should not be sent via email.
• Email usage must comply with relevant federal and state laws, as well as University policies, including those governing computing resources, information security considerations, and ethics in computing.
• The use of Stony Brook University email must comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines. Stony Brook University email must be used only for approved data categories and in compliance with all applicable regulations.
• Email shall not be the sole method for notification where another method of communication is required by law.
• The owner of an email account is responsible for its use and is presumed to be responsible for all email sent from that account. Users may not alter an email address to disguise or block the identity of the sender.
• Email passwords and other credentials may not be shared. Email systems that rely exclusively on a User ID/password combination for security should require long, complex passwords and periodic password changes.
• Users may not view, copy, alter or destroy another person’s email without permission unless authorized or required to do so by law or policy.
• Email may be automatically scanned for malicious content (viruses, spam, phishing attacks) and filtered accordingly and without warning.
   

Bulk Email

Sending bulk email can trigger spam filters resulting in the block of Stony Brook University email by Internet service providers. Further, many users prefer not to receive bulk email unless it is personally relevant. The following conditions therefore apply to broadcast email:

• Communications from instructors and academic departments or program chairs to current students in connection with instructional activity are permitted.
• Broadcast or bulk email messages to specific segments or the entire Stony Brook University community are subject to review by the relevant Vice President’s or Senior Vice President’s office.

Use of Email for Official Communication

The primary Stony Brook email address is the address to which the University sends official email notifications. It is the responsibility of the holders of University-provided email accounts to make sure they are receiving and checking for official University email communications on a regular basis. Official communications are any communications that include content related to matters concerning student, faculty, and staff interaction with the University. Users who fail to check their email on a regular basis are responsible for any resulting consequences.
 

Assignment of Primary Email Addresses

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) assigns nearly all members of the University community a primary email address. Primary email addresses are formatted as electronic post office (EPO) mailboxes in the general form of firstname.lastname@stonybrook.edu. 
 

Redirecting of Email and Additional Email Addresses

Members of the community may use functionality built into existing services, such as  SOLAR and SB Alert, to specify additional email addresses beyond their primary University-provided email address. These are supplemental addresses and do not replace the primary email address.

Some services provide the option of automatically forwarding email to other email services. Those who forward Stony Brook University email to external email services do so at their own risk, as users are responsible for receiving and reading official University communications in a timely manner. The University’s responsibility for delivery of email ends at the Stony Brook University EPO address. Forwarding Stony Brook University email containing protected information to an external email service is not permitted.
 

Educational Uses of Email

Faculty will determine how email or other means of electronic communication will be used in their classes. Faculty may expect students to read messages sent to their primary University-provided email address in a timely manner.
 

Inspection, Monitoring or Disclosure of Email

Stony Brook University email, wherever it may be stored or transmitted, belongs to the University, may be audited by the University at any time, and may be subject to disclosure to a third party, including review by authorized law enforcement personnel. Email accounts are subject to review and disclosure, without notice, when required by law, where a violation of law or University policy may exist, where there is a risk of spoliation, bodily harm, property loss or damage, where the University's mission is jeopardized or during the course of routine system administration.
 

Retention of Email Records

The retention requirement for email is determined by the content of the communication, and not the medium. The legal stewards of retained email messages are determined by the subject matter. A list of campus data stewards may be found in Stony Brook University’s Policy on Data and Data Access. More detailed policy information regarding Email Retention can be found in Stony Brook University's Electronic Mail (Email) Retention Policy (D112).
 

Termination of Email Accounts

Population

Email Account Termination Policy

Students

Students will have access to their email account (@stonybrook.edu) for 200 days after being marked as graduated from a Stony Brook degree program or when they are no longer an active student (e.g. no longer registered for classes). Individuals who return as active students within the 200-day period will retain their existing account. If an individual returns as an active student beyond the 200-day grace period, she or he will be issued the same NetID and email account they had before.

Graduates have the option to request an email account on the Stony Brook alumni domain, however, data will need to be migrated by the individual.

Students Who Are Expelled, Dismissed, or Suspended

Email accounts are immediately disabled upon exhaustion of all administrative appeals.

Faculty/Staff Who Resign

Email accounts are disabled one day after the last effective work date entered in the University's administrative system.

Faculty/Staff Who Retire

Email accounts are disabled one day after the last effective work date entered in the University's administrative system.

Retirees have the option of requesting an email account on Stony Brook's retiree domain, however, it will be up to the retiree to migrate their data from the old account to the new account.

Emeritus Faculty

Email accounts are extended for life.

Employees Terminated for Cause

Email accounts are immediately disabled.

Accounts subject to legal or other holds will be retained until the holds are cleared, but not available for use unless specifically approved. 
 

RELATED INFORMATION

Stony Brook University Policies

• Use of Information Technology (P109)
• Code of Student Responsibility
• Stony Brook University Research Export Controls
• Records Retention and Disposition
• Google Apps for Education Acceptable Use and Data Security Policy (D111)
• Electronic Mail (Email) Retention Policy (D112)
   

INQUIRIES/REQUESTS

Office of the Chief Information Officer

Room 231, Educational Communications Center

(631) 632-9085
 

Stony Brook Medicine Information Technology Department

Office of the Chief Information Officer

L4-215 Health Sciences Center

(631) 444-2249