Sympa: Mailing Lists Approval Guidelines

Are you affiliated with Duke?

Only Duke students, faculty, staff members, or affiliates can request, moderate, or own mailing lists. (For example, your email address ends in @duke.edu or @*.duke.edu.)

Does the list meet a legitimate need?

Legitimate needs fall within the following scopes:

• Academic
• Business
• Professional
• Social events

The mailing list should support the goals of Duke organizations, departments, schools, events, or other recognized entities. A mailing list may also be used for a nationally recognized organization whose membership includes Duke affiliates.

Examples:

• Students can request a list for a Duke-sponsored social event held on or off campus.
• Students requesting a list for a Duke student group must be listed as the primary contact on the group roster at https://duke.collegiatelink.net/.
• Students cannot request a list simply to email friends (for example, asking where everyone is going on a Friday night). Personal distribution lists in your email client should be used for that purpose.

Are you in a position of authority within the organization?

The mailing list request should align with your role within the organization.

Examples:

• If you request RAdorm@duke.edu, are you an RA in that dorm?
• John Doe is the manager of the OIT Service Desk, but John cannot request a mailing list for oit@duke.edu. However, John can request oitservicedesk@duke.edu.

Does the requested list name reflect the list’s purpose?

The list name should match the initials or abbreviation of the organization, or clearly describe the event or purpose of the list.

Examples:

• A faculty member sponsoring an annual craft fair on campus could request something like craftfair@duke.edu.
• For one-time (non-recurring) events, consider using a name such as craftfair2008@duke.edu to allow flexibility for future craft fair events organized by other groups.
• The list name biology@duke.edu will be reserved for the Department of Biology rather than an individual running a biology club. The club could instead use names such as biology-club@duke.edu or biology-enthusiasts@duke.edu.

Is the requested list name already taken?

• The OIT Service Desk will check availability and inform the requester if the name is already in use. If it is, the requester will need to submit a new list name.

Examples:

• The Global Health Institute cannot request ghi@duke.edu because that address is reserved for Gary Harold Isaksen. Consider alternatives such as globalhealth@duke.edu or ghinstitute@duke.edu.
• Middle Ages History cannot request mah@duke.edu, mah08@duke.edu, or mah100@duke.edu. Consider alternatives such as midage@duke.edu, middleages@duke.edu, or mahsociety@duke.edu.

What are the naming convention limitations or requirements?

The mailing list address will follow the format listname@duke.edu.

The list name must:

• Be all lowercase
• Be no longer than 40 characters
• Contain only letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores

List names containing spaces, periods, or other punctuation will be denied during the approval or creation process. Hyphens are recommended over underscores.

What happens to dormant lists?

If a mailing list has no activity for two years, OIT reserves the right to close the list. List owners will have 30 days to appeal and request reactivation before the list is permanently deleted.

What is the turnaround time from request to approval?

The typical turnaround time for approval is less than five business days.

I would like to change my list’s name. How can I do that?

There is a Rename List option in the list’s admin panel. Use this option to submit a request to the OIT Service Desk so the name change can be processed according to the proper protocol.

Requests sent directly to the Service Desk by email will be denied.