Email protocol for staff and student emails

Purpose

To provide clear guidelines as to how Trinity's email facilities will be used for blanket emails to staff and students.

Principles

• Email circulation requests should be flagged to the Secretary’s Office as soon as possible, allowing time for review of the request and proposed text. Two days lead-in time is recommended for standard emails (surveys can take longer).
• Content of the email must be appropriate and adhere to Trinity's IT and Network Code of Conduct and Accessibility Information Policy and Guidelines. 
• Information must be relevant to all those receiving the emails and not solely relevant to one section of Trinity community.
• Information must be timely.
• Circulation must be sought or authorised by a named member of staff.
• Replies to emails will be directed to a designated person associated with the event/activity.
• One email per event/activity will be sent. Reminders will not be issued except for research surveys (see below).
• Attachments are not normally facilitated. Relevant information should be contained within the body of the email text or via link(s) within the body of the email text.
• Emails can specifically be sent to staff members only, students only (undergraduates and postgraduates) or to both staff members and students.

Requirements

Please send the following with your circulation request to secretar@tcd.ie:

• What is the subject line?
• Who is the email to be sent out on behalf of?
• What is the email address to which replies are to be directed?
• Who is the email to be sent to?
• Student lists = undergraduates, postgraduates
• Written permission from the Senior Lecturer to use the undergraduate student list must be attached to email request for circulation.
• Written permission from the Dean of Graduate Studies to use the postgraduate student list must be attached to email request for circulation.
• Staff lists = academic staff, admin staff, “additional” staff (i.e. staff who are not in the academic or admin lists)
• Body of the email to be circulated to be laid out on a separate Word document and in Calibri, font size 12.
• Bold should be used for emphasis: not underlining, italics or coloured font
• Images such as logos should not be included
• All hyperlinks should be tested beforehand and integrated within the message text (i.e. write “Please visit the Trinity homepage” rather than “Please visit https://www.tcd.ie/”)
• Email signature must appear in both English and Irish at the bottom of the body of the email.  Please advise if phone number and/or email address is to appear in the email signature.
• Any attachment to be considered for circulation with email must be in PDF format.

Research Surveys

• Survey must be approved by relevant Ethics Committee and proof of approval is required.
• Request must come in from PI/Lead researcher/Supervisor of student thesis who has a tcd.ie email address.
• Replies must be directed to a tcd.ie email address.
• To ensure compliance with GDPR, exact copy of survey must be approved by the Data Protection Office and this exact copy must be submitted to the Secretary’s Office along with approval from the DPO.
• One reminder can be issued per survey.

Some areas have the facility to send notices relevant to their activities including:

• IT Services
• Human Resources
• Estates and Facilities
• Library
• Careers Advisory Service

The Senior Lecturer and Dean of Graduate Studies provide access to the Students' Union and Graduate Students' Union email lists.  All other permissions are normally provided by the Secretary to Trinity.

 Categories of emails which will be permitted

Categories of emails which will not be circulated using central Trinity staff and student lists:

Other circulation options: