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Acceptable Use of Batten School & VIMS Email Distribution Lists

PPD 0303

PPD Number: 0303
Title: Acceptable Use of Batten School & VIMS Email Distribution Lists
Responsible Office: Information Technology
Effective Date: July 1, 2009
Last Updated: February 20, 2026

I. Scope

This policy applies to all users of Batten School & VIMS email distribution lists, including faculty, staff, students, affiliates, and guests.

II. Purpose & Policy Statement

This policy defines acceptable use, governance, and content standards for Batten School & VIMS-managed email distribution lists used for broad and targeted communication across the institute. These lists are provided and administered by the Batten School & VIMS Information Technology department (IT) to support timely, effective, and appropriate communication while minimizing message fatigue and misuse of shared resources.

This policy operates in conjunction with the following William & Mary policies: Acceptable Use for Faculty and Staff, Acceptable Use for Students, and Use of Electronic Communications & Social Media.

III. Distribution Lists and Acceptable Use

A. vims-business@vims.edu

The vims-business list is the institute’s official email notification channel for messages that are operationally critical or institutionally significant and relevant to a majority of the Batten School & VIMS community. All individuals with a Batten School & VIMS email address are automatically included and may not unsubscribe. Posting to vims-business is restricted to:

  • Members of the Batten School & VIMS Administrative Council or their designated alternate(s), which includes the head of every major unit at the institute.
  • Members of the Emergency Management Team

Individuals who have content appropriate for distribution via the vims-business email list must contact their unit head to validate the content meets policy. If approved, the unit head may then post to vims-business on the requester’s behalf. Messages must meet the following criteria:

  • Directly related to Batten School & VIMS operations, safety, administration, or mission-related activities
  • Time-sensitive or broadly impactful
  • Relevant to a majority of the Batten School & VIMS community

Examples of Appropriate Use include but are not limited to: 

  • Campus closures or delayed openings
  • Emergency notifications and safety directives
  • Changes to core services or infrastructure
  • Institute-wide policy updates or compliance deadlines
  • Major operational disruptions such as power, network, or facility outages
  • Promotion of institute-wide events and activities
  • Updates from institutional units with relevance to a majority of the community

Examples of Inappropriate Use include but are not limited to: 

  • Requests targeted to a subset of community members
  • Personal announcements or informal notices
  • Political messages, fundraising, or general interest messaging

B. Opt-in Email Lists

To allow for effective communication of business-related topics that do not meet the guidelines for distribution via the vims-business email list, the Batten School & VIMS provides several opt-in email lists. Subscription to these lists is voluntary and managed by individuals at lists.vims.edu. Each list is strictly limited to its stated purpose. Messages outside a list’s scope may be removed or rejected, and the sender may face restrictions or disciplinary actions per university policies.

IV. General Rules for all Batten School & VIMS Email Lists

The following rules apply to all email distribution lists maintained by the Batten School & VIMS:

  • Messages must originate from a valid vims.edu email account unless an exception is approved for business reasons
  • The sender must be clearly identified by name
  • Anonymous or misrepresented postings are not permitted
  • Lists may not be used for commercial advertising, personal sales, fundraising, or political activity
  • Harassing, intimidating, or disruptive messages are prohibited
  • Complaints or disputes must be handled through appropriate administrative channels and not aired publicly
  • Messages should be concise and avoid large attachments or embedded graphics

 V. Enforcement

Misuse of Batten School & VIMS email distribution lists may result in:

  • Removal of posting privileges
  • Additional administrative or technical controls as deemed necessary
  • Disciplinary action consistent with university policy