2008 Woodie Awards
E-mail Etiquette: What to know
Dr. Kregg Strehorn. He is an academic dean and can be reached at strehorn@acad.umass.edu.
Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Editorial / Opinion
To avoid missing deadlines or even opportunities, we recommend that you stop having your UMass e-mail forwarded. Instead, either use your UMail as your only account, or use two accounts and check your UMail daily for university-related business.
A Permanent Record of Your Civility . . . or Not
Although it is "informal," as long as e-mail is the University's "official" mode of communication, students need to remember that when writing to members of the campus community, a certain e-mail etiquette is expected. Always indicate your full name, not just Doug or Maria, include your SPIRE number as a courtesy, and start with a salutation such as "Dear Professor Quinn." Believe it or not, I receive several messages per week that begin "hey," and are not signed at all. This is not the best way to make a positive impression.
One last suggestion: when writing e-mails regarding University business, try to avoid abbreviations that might be more appropriate when text messaging (TMOT - trust me on this). These are habits that will serve you well when you leave campus and enter the professional world. Believe me, a little civility goes a long way.
Take your future into your own hands. Reading your University e-mail is a great way to avoid missing withdrawal deadlines, for example, which may result in a lower grade point average recorded permanently on your transcript.
Using University e-mail to address issues in an informal way could also come back to haunt you. What if these e-mails end up in the hands of a potential employer looking for an employee with a more professional demeanor? E-mail is a permanent record and what you don't know about it, either way, could hurt you.
A Permanent Record of Your Civility . . . or Not
Although it is "informal," as long as e-mail is the University's "official" mode of communication, students need to remember that when writing to members of the campus community, a certain e-mail etiquette is expected. Always indicate your full name, not just Doug or Maria, include your SPIRE number as a courtesy, and start with a salutation such as "Dear Professor Quinn." Believe it or not, I receive several messages per week that begin "hey," and are not signed at all. This is not the best way to make a positive impression.
One last suggestion: when writing e-mails regarding University business, try to avoid abbreviations that might be more appropriate when text messaging (TMOT - trust me on this). These are habits that will serve you well when you leave campus and enter the professional world. Believe me, a little civility goes a long way.
Take your future into your own hands. Reading your University e-mail is a great way to avoid missing withdrawal deadlines, for example, which may result in a lower grade point average recorded permanently on your transcript.
Using University e-mail to address issues in an informal way could also come back to haunt you. What if these e-mails end up in the hands of a potential employer looking for an employee with a more professional demeanor? E-mail is a permanent record and what you don't know about it, either way, could hurt you.
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