Student Listserv Use Policy
1. Purpose
Student listservs are UW Law School communication tools intended to support the School’s educational mission, promote student engagement, share relevant information, and support community-building. Communications sent via student listservs should be relevant to the broader law student population.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all law students and registered student organizations. However, direct access to distribute messages via student listservs is limited as outlined under Paragraph 3. Authorized Sender.
This policy applies to the following student listservs:
3. Authorized Sender
The Student Bar Association (SBA) is the only registered student organization authorized to send messages to student listservs. The SBA shall determine which of its officers e.g., the President and Secretary, are authorized to send messages to student listservs.
Individual students and other student organizations may not send messages directly to student listservs. Registered student organizations wishing to share announcements must coordinate with the SBA, which will determine whether and how messages are distributed.
This policy does not restrict the ability of University or UW Law School employees or departments to send messages via student listservs. Senders who fall in this category must request access to the students listservs by emailing the Director of IT and Associate Dean for External Relations, who consult with the Dean’s Office to determine access.
4. Appropriate Use
The SBA is permitted to use the student listservs for:
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Sharing and making announcements containing factual information related to University, UW Law School, and registered student organization events, meetings, and programs;
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Providing factual information from registered student organizations;
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Sharing information regarding opportunities relevant to law students (e.g., internships, campus jobs, leadership roles, scholarships); and/or
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Providing factual information about University, UW Law School, and community resources related to student wellbeing, academic success, and student life.
All messages must:
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Be professional in tone and content;
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Clearly identify the sponsoring organization; and,
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Include relevant dates, times, locations, and contact information.
5. Prohibited Use
The SBA may not use the student listservs for:
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Commercial advertising, solicitation, or endorsements of entities not affiliated with the University or UW Law School;
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Paid sponsorship, marketing, or advertising opportunities;
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Political campaigning, lobbying, or endorsements of candidates in any SBA, ASM, or other registered student organization election, as well as candidates in any local, state, or federal election;
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Sharing harassing, discriminatory, or defamatory content;
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Sharing spam, chain letters, or repetitive messaging;
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Sharing information about events that do not follow University or UW Law School policies, including accessibility, alcohol, and other relevant policies;
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Sharing information about events that do not have a host/sponsor affiliated with the University, UW Law School, or a registered student organization;
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Sharing information about events not listed on the UW campus calendar or UW Law School’s events calendar;
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Personal messages not serving the broader law student population; and
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Unauthorized fundraising activities.
This list above is non-exhaustive.
Additionally, the SBA may not use student listservs to make statements about matters of public controversy or concern, consistent with UW-Madison’s Policy on Institutional and Public Position Statements. This does not limit SBA’s ability to use its own communication tools, e.g., SBA’s social media, to make such statements; however, it may not use state resources, i.e. UW Law listservs, for such matters.
6. Submission and Review Process
Registered student organizations must submit announcements to the Student Bar Association using the designated process established by the SBA.
The SBA may exercise its discretion to edit, consolidate, schedule, or decline submissions to align with this policy and manage message volume. While the UW Law School delegates this discretion to the SBA, the UW Law School reserves the right to review and override the SBA’s process and decisions, and the UW Law School retains ultimate authority over use of the student listservs.
7. Frequency Guidelines
To prevent overuse, the SBA is encouraged to consolidate announcements where possible (e.g., regular newsletters). Repeated promotion of the same event or information should be limited.
SBA is responsible for setting a set schedule for the newsletter and abiding by that schedule.
UW Law School will monitor frequency and will notify SBA if over or under use issues arise.
8. Privacy and Data Protection
Listservs must not be used to share confidential, sensitive, or personally identifiable information without proper authorization.
Distribution lists may not be copied, shared, or used for unauthorized purposes.
9. Accessibility and Inclusion
All communications must:
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Use inclusive, respectful, and professional language; and
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Follow the University’s Content Accessibility Guidelines.
10. Enforcement
Violations of this policy may result in:
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Pre-approval of all messages by UW Law School;
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Denial of message distribution;
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Revocation of eligibility to submit announcements through the SBA;
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Revocation of SBA’s ability to send messages to student listservs;
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Changes in financial support from UW Law School to SBA;
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A report to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for misconduct; and/or
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Other actions deemed appropriate by External Affairs and Student Affairs.
11. Policy Administration
This UW Law policy is governed by the Dean’s Office and administered by the School’s External Affairs and Student Affairs departments. UW Law School reserves the right to update or modify this policy at any time.