This era of mass communication brings with it unprecedented opportunity for those looking to spread information. It also, however, carries with it significant risks. According to the digital research firm comScore, more than 113 billion Internet searches were conducted worldwide in July 2009 - making the number of searches total about 16 times the Earth's estimated population. With more information available at people's fingertips than ever before, the task of delivering messages that "stick" has become decidedly more challenging.
Students received two University-wide e-mails yesterday, one originating from Dean of Students Allen Groves and the other from Student Council President John Nelson. Groves' e-mail sought to clarify information about recent incidents involving the verbal harassment of a female College student outside of Alderman Library. Nelson's message served to update students about Council initiatives and projects that have been undertaken this semester.
Generally, mass e-mail should be used sparingly as a communication tool. If it used too frequently, students will simply tune out what is written. Yesterday's two messages, however, represent thoughtful uses of the technology. Both were suitably structured, and, most important, the subject matter was appropriate for contacting each student at the University.
Nelson's e-mail, in addition to cataloging Council's activities this semester, provided students with information about how to supply Council with feedback. Listing the projects for students to inspect should encourage more participation in Speak Up UVA, an online forum for students to publicly post and vote on their concerns about the University. By allowing students to see that Council is already taking on many suggested projects and making progress toward community goals, the e-mail promotes the kind of relationship between Council and the student body that has been lacking in the past. Nelson's message also was an opportunity to increase awareness about projects that could be of particular benefit to students, such as the UVAirBus program and the extended hours at Wilsdorf Cafe.
Groves' e-mail was necessarily more somber in tone, addressing the confusion among many students about a recent string of potentially criminal incidents across Grounds and the surrounding community. Groves wrote primarily about allegations involving a middle-aged man in a wheelchair who has been accused of verbally harassing female students. Complicating the situation is that it has been discussed frequently through various e-mail list-servs, resulting in different accounts of the incidents being forwarded to students. Such messages also lead to the potential for excessive speculation and the circulation of rumors. The University e-mail helped to fill the authoritative void in this instance by providing students with an official account.
Understanding the nature of e-mail communication and its corresponding etiquette is more important than many realize. E-mail has mostly replaced traditional mail and other forms of communication as the primary means for administrators and student leaders to contact the University community. Its use must be as judicious and well-thought-out as any other form of official exchange. The improper application of communications technology could result in many students overlooking critical information.
Read More
SHRAUGER: Protect City Council funding for Central Virginia Violence Interrupters
By Alex Shrauger | 2 hours agoEntrusting people with a criminal background to facilitate nonviolent intervention and providing in-depth training in crime prevention is possibly the best alternative to police funding or further, more costly initiatives.
WASSERMAN: The Cavalier Daily got it wrong on UVa.’s discrimination cases
By Barbara Wasserman | 19 hours agoThat framing is not just misleading — it obscures the real failures of University leadership and the courage of the students who stood up to them.
EDITORIAL: Virginia’s political parties have left our universities boarded up
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoThe destabilizing consequences of the present appointment process have revealed critical and unsustainable fault lines that rest within our political system.
