Policy on Use of Email for Official College Communication

At Smith College, there is a need for electronic communication with students. It is the College’s policy that electronic mail (email) be an official communication mechanism with students. Students have a right to accurate and timely information about matters affecting them. The College has the right to determine the appropriate vehicle for official communication about matters affecting students. Along with other forms of campus communications (campus mail, eDigest, etc.), students are responsible for receiving, reading, complying with and responding to official email communications from the College.

All students are assigned an official Smith College email address and all official College communications are sent to this email address. The official Smith email address for each student is listed in the official College directory.

The College provides several mechanisms so that a student may access her official Smith email account. Optionally, a student may forward her email from her official Smith email address to another email address of her choice. A student who chooses to forward her email to another email address does so at her own risk. Smith College is not responsible for email forwarded to any other email address. A student's failure to receive or read in a timely manner official communications sent to the student's official email address does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the official communication. The procedures for accessing and forwarding email are published on the ITS website.

Faculty may assume that a student's official College email is a valid mechanism for communicating with a student, and faculty may use email for communicating with students registered in their classes. This policy ensures that all students are informed of course requirements communicated to them by email from their course instructors. Students must submit coursework according to the acceptable guidelines established by their instructors.