ERG 860.03: Employee, Department, Unit, and Program Email

Principal Guidance 

While not exhaustive, the following guidance is applicable and should be reviewed: 

• EP4 – Electronic Communication Policy 
• EP8 – WSU System Data Policies 
• BPPM 90.03 – Retention of Electronic Communications 
• BPPM 09.05 – Release of Public Records 

Purpose  

This policy sets email communication standards, outlines proper use, and describes how email addresses for department, unit, and program use are established.  It also identifies what department, unit, and program email addresses currently exist. By adhering to this policy, employees contribute to the professionalism, consistency, and clarity of communications. 

Employee Email 

WSU employee email is a primary means of communicating internally and externally to the institution.  New employees are issued a WSU network ID and their email address is yournetworkID@wsu.edu.  It is an expectation of all OAE employees, regardless of classification, to monitor, organize, and respond in a timely manner to all email communication.  It is further expected that email communication be professional and mindful of an employee’s role as a department and university representative.  Training on these matters is available and should be coordinated with an employee’s supervisor. 

Department, Unit, and Program Emails 

The following emails have been established for use with the Office of Academic Engagement: 

• Office of Academic Engagement:
  oae.provost@wsu.edu
  Monitored by the Finance and Administrative Manager as well as department Program Specialists. 
• College Access Programs
  oae.collegeaccess@wsu.edu
  Monitored by the College Access Programs Director. 
• Cougs Rise
  cougs.rise@wsu.edu
  Monitored by the College Access Programs Director and Program Assistant, as well as Cougs Rise Coordinators.
• Dare to Dream
  oae.dtd@wsu.edu
  Monitored by the College Access Programs Director and Student Support Manager
• College Success Programs
  oae.csp@wsu.edu
  Monitored by the College Success Programs Director. 
• Passport to College Program
  passport.scholar@wsu.edu
  Monitored by the College Success Program Director and Assistant Director, as well as the Student Success Specialist.
• STEM SSS
  oae.stem-sss@wsu.edu
  Alias account forwarded to and monitored by the College Success Program Director.
• Invest in Cougs
  oae.invest@wsu.edu
  Monitored by the College Affordability Director. 

Department, Unit, and Program Email Management 

All department, unit, and program email addresses are established by the department head who also determines ownership, roles, and access. All requests may be submitted via email to department head.

Official Correspondence with Students 

See EP4. 

Security, Privacy, and Confidentiality 

Email is not a secure means of communication and, therefore, has restricted use.  See EP4 and EP8. 

Appropriate and Prohibited Use 

See EP4. 

Email Retention, Preservation, Destruction, and Disposition  

Email is subject to data regulation and, with few exceptions, is a public record. See EP8 and BPPM 90.03 and 90.05. 

Out-of-Office Responses 

Employees are required to use automated out-of-office responses when taking planned leave or otherwise unable to respond to emails for more than two days.  Out-of-office responses should include the following: I am currently out of the office and will return <date>. If this is an urgent matter, please contact XX at xx@wsu.edu or 509.335.xxxx, otherwise I will respond upon my return.  Thank you and Go Cougs! 

Signature Format and Style Guidelines 

Employees are to use the default Calibri font in the body of email correspondence and are required to use the email signature provided by University Communications (template below).  Employees may add pronouns, but they are not required.  Personalization of email signatures (quotes, images, sayings, etc.) is prohibited.  However, employees should add information regarding their schedule if they work less than full-time or do not work during regular business hours (M-F, 8-5).  To insert the signature, complete the following:  

1. Copy the signature from the OAE Signature document.
2. In Microsoft Outlook, open a new, blank email and paste the copied table into it.
   1. Images and icons might not copy over, they can be found on the shared drive in Dep2 – BRANDING WSU – Email Signature – downsized icons.
3. Update the information with your personalized information (name, title, phone, etc.) 
4. Copy the edited table from the email and paste it into the ‘Signatures’ panel of Outlook’s options. 
5. Save your signature for future use in Outlook.