Mass emails intended for internal distribution in SEAS must be relevant to most of the SEAS Community and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Shares critical information or announcements (e.g., leadership changes).
• Shares urgent information regarding an emergency (e.g. related to security, safety or health).
• Shares time-sensitive information about an upcoming event or opportunity. 

Additional messages may be shared on behalf of the dean.

All mass emails must be approved by both the Office of Communications and Dean’s Office. To schedule a mass email for review and distribution, contact James Friedman, jf48@buffalo.edu, or the Office of Communications, seascomm@buffalo.edu, at least two business days prior to the desired distribution date (urgent messages regarding an emergency are exempt from this deadline). The Office of Communications will select a distribution date and time as close to the request as possible. Subject priority and scheduling conflicts may impact the distribution date.

Recurring mass emails (e.g. e-newsletters) are prohibited without the written approval of both the Office of Communications and Dean’s Office.

Reminders, or emails intended to redistribute information, are prohibited unless the information is determined to be of critical importance by the Dean’s Office. Approval is required to share a mass email that serves as a reminder. Only one reminder is permitted.

Distribution dates and times are limited to business hours (Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Distribution beyond these hours and on weekends and holidays is prohibited (urgent messages regarding an emergency are exempt).

The Office of Academic Affairs and Office of Student Affairs have pre-approval to distribute individual mass emails from their offices to SEAS students. Other units and departments, both internal and external to SEAS, must contact James Friedman, jf48@buffalo.edu, or the Office of Communications, seascomm@buffalo.edu, for approval to share mass emails with SEAS students.

Violation of this policy, including circumvention of the approval process, will result in a temporary ban on sending mass emails. The first violation will result in a warning.

Mass emails that contain any of the following criteria are prohibited:

• Information that was previously distributed to the SEAS Community.
• Off-campus events and activities unaffiliated with UB or SEAS.
• Private or invitation-only UB events and activities.
• Research participation or volunteer recruitment requests.
• Job or internship postings.
• Promotions for specific academic courses or degree programs.
• Campus news or new grant announcements.
• Fundraising requests and solicitations that are not UB-supported or endorsed.
• Offensive content.
• Political statements or content that advocates for or against political parties, candidates, or campaigns.
• Fraudulent or unlawful content.
• Copyright protected content.
• Content that may violate an individuals’ privacy.
• Promotion of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or gambling.
• Advertisements for external organizations (exception: content related to SEAS Corporate Partners).
• Content in languages other than English without an accompanying English translation.
• Personal messages.
• Messages that violate the UB Mass Digital Communications Policy.

When possible, target messages to as specific an audience as possible (e.g. sharing an email with two departments rather than all of SEAS). Departments and administrative offices may distribute email within their respective units at their discretion. Individual distribution of the same message to most departments, offices, and/or people within SEAS is circumvention of the approval process and is considered a violation of this policy.

Before requesting a mass email, consider alternative methods of communication. Additional communication channels include:

• Social Media
• Webpage Content
• News Article 
• UB Calendar
• SEAS Digital Signage
• Press Release
• Print Collateral (e.g. flyers, postcards)
• Advertising

Consult the Office of Communications, seascomm@buffalo.edu, to determine the appropriate channels to distribute your message.