Student Email
There is an expanding reliance on electronic communication at Northwest Indian College. This is motivated by the convenience, speed, cost-effectiveness, and environmental advantages of using email rather than printed communication. Because of this increasing reliance and acceptance of electronic communication, email is considered one of the College’s official means of communication within the Northwest Indian College community.
Implementation of this policy ensures that students have access to this critical form of communication. It will ensure that all students can access, and be accessed by e-mail as the need arises.
A NWIC student e-mail account is a privilege and must be treated as such. Any abuse of this privilege will have consequences.
Expectations
- College use of e-mail
E-mail is an official means for communication within Northwest Indian College. Therefore, the College has the right to send communications to students via e-mail and the right to expect that those communications will be received and read in a timely fashion. If you have an Internet Service Provider, you can access the College’s e-mail system from on campus and off-campus.
- E-mail communications expectations
Students are expected to check their official email address on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with College communications. The College recommends checking email once a week at a minimum; in recognition that certain communications may be time-critical.
- Educational uses of email
Faculty may determine how email will be used in their classes. It is highly recommended that if faculty has e-mail requirements and expectations they specify these requirements in their course syllabi. Faculty may expect that students’ official e-mail addresses are being accessed regularly and faculty may use e-mail for their courses accordingly.
- Appropriate use of email
In general, e-mail is not appropriate for transmitting sensitive or confidential information unless an appropriate level of security matches its use for such purposes. The e-mail system is not designed to be a record retention system. In addition, it is suggested that important documents be sent with a return receipt. The following criteria relate to email use:
- All use of e-mail will be consistent with local, state, and federal law, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). All use of e-mail, including use for sensitive or confidential information, will be consistent with FERPA. To ensure compliance with FERPA regulations, all correspondence which concerns confidential or sensitive information should utilize official Northwest Indian College email addresses. E-mail correspondence from students that requests confidential or sensitive information will not be answered if the email is not from a Northwest Indian College e-mail address.
- Communications sent to a student’s official Northwest Indian College e-mail address may include notification of College-related actions. E-mail shall not be the sole method for notification of any legal action. Official College communications sent by email are subject to the same public information, privacy and records retention requirements and policies as other official College communications.
- A prepared statement of confidentiality is available for students to add to their e-mail messages if desired. The message below may be copied and pasted into the signature line of e-mail messages:
- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by email and destroy all copies of the original message.
- Abuse of email privileges
A NWIC email account is a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked if used for any unacceptable purpose. Unacceptable e-mail use includes, but is not limited to:
- unsolicited unauthorized mass email (spam)
- offensive language or threats
- obscene material or language
- infringement on others’ privacy
- interference with others’ work
- copyright infringement
- illegal activity
Penalties for unacceptable e-mail use can range from deactivation of the account through college judicial action or referral to law enforcement authorities.