In response to concerns raised by students regarding the volume of email students receive on a daily basis, the Graduate Public Affairs Council (GPAC) has developed guidelines for use of the LBJ Student Listserv. The following guidelines were officially passed by the GPAC general assembly on November 11, 2008. These guidelines are considered active until such time as the GPAC elects to suspend, repeal, or amend these guidelines.
GPAC will select two listserv “facilitators” each year (one for faculty and staff and another for students) to maintain compliance with the listserv guidelines. Facilitators may alert users if their use of the listserv is of concern. Faculty, staff, and students may direct any questions, concerns, and/or clarifications about the listserv to these facilitators.  Due to the breadth of listserv abuse, the guidelines are intentionally broad and subject to the interpretation of the listserv facilitators.
The facilitators for the 2008-2009 academic year are as follows:
Faculty and staff:      Dean Patterson
Students:            GPAC Technology Committee

Please contact your respective listserv facilitator with any questions you may have.

•  Use Discretion & Consolidation:  Students, faculty, and staff should use discretion when sending information to the listserv and individuals who regularly use the listserv should consolidate communications into as few emails as possible.  For example, individuals who send more than one email per day should provide all information in a single daily digest email.

•  Subject Line:  Email subject lines should be as detailed as possible to allow readers to quickly determine the relevance and/or importance of the email.  For example: 
o   Deadlines and information regarding the priority of the email should be contained in the subject line. 
o   The subject lines of emails regarding upcoming events should contain the name of the event, the date of the event, and whether an RSVP is necessary.

•  E-Commerce:  The listserv should not be used to buy or sell items or to request services such as petsitting, babysitting, etc….  Individuals wishing to buy or sell an item or service may use LBJ Livewire.  Faculty or staff wishing to buy or sell items may send an email to the GPAC Technology Subcommittee with the subject “Please post to livewire” in order to post these items to livewire. 

•  Academic, Career Building, LBJ Organizations:  Any information related to academic issues, career building, or issues or events related to LBJ organizations may be emailed to the listserv.  Again, senders who regularly mail to the listserv should consolidate emails.

•  Social Events: Information regarding events that are scheduled more than two to three days in the future should be posted to livewire.  The listserv may be used to send brief emails letting students know that information regarding the event is available on livewire.  Information regarding events that will occur within the next two-three days may be sent to the listserv.

•  GPAC Campaign Emails:  GPAC will no longer allow individual campaign emails to be sent to the listserv.  Instead, GPAC will send a single email to the listserv with information about all candidates.  Individual candidates may post information to livewire.

•  Other Uses: The listserv may be used to advertise volunteer opportunities, community events or issues of relevance to most students, and lost or found items.