Policies & Disclaimers
Table of Contents
Policy on University Communications with Students
California State University Bakersfield may send communications to students either by mail or by email.
Student Responsibility
Students are responsible for maintaining an accurate mailing address with the university through the Office
of Admissions and Records and for accessing/forwarding their California State University, Bakersfield
Runnermail account. The University intends to replace many of the letters sent to students via the U.S.
Postal service with e-mail communications. As a result, CSUB recommends that students check their email
accounts daily.
The consequences of not checking e-mail are the same as those for not checking your U.S. Postal mailbox.
Some of these consequences include missing payment deadlines, missing scholarship opportunities and deadlines,
missing registration deadlines, missing immunization requirements, missing out on opportunities for financial
aid, and missing requirements and deadlines for graduation.
Students are responsible for the consequences of not reading, in a timely fashion, university-related
communications sent to their mailing address or university email account. Students have the responsibility to
recognize that certain communications may be time-critical. Excuses such as not checking mail or email on time,
errors in forwarding mail or email, mail or email returned due to relocation, undeliverable address, full email
inbox, etc. are not acceptable reasons for missing university correspondence.
- By mail:
- It is the student's responsibility to provide the university with a current mailing address.
- University mailings will be sent to the student's mailing address of record.
- Students may update their mailing addresses either by coming into the Office of Admissions and
Records and submitting a signed and dated BioData Change / Address Change form or by accessing this same form
on the web at and mailing the signed and dated form through the
US Mail.
- By email:
- It is the student's responsibility to check their university email account in order to stay
current with university communications.
- All students receive an email account from the university at the point of admission. Student
email addresses are all of the form that end in @runner.csub.edu
- If they choose, students can redirect their university email address to another account.
However, the university will not be responsible for the handling of email by outside vendors or departmental
servers. Instructions for redirecting are available on the RunnerMail website, after log-on.
- Faculty will determine how electronic forms of communication (e.g. email) will be used in their
respective classes and will specify their requirements to students. Faculty can make the assumption that students'
@runner.csub.edu accounts are being accessed, and faculty can use email for their classes accordingly.
- Given the wide range of computers and email programs used by students it is important that the
email messages be sent in a format that can be easily read by all students.
- All email sent to students should include the name, title, email address and telephone number of
the person sending the email so that the student may verify the integrity of the email.
- Emails sent to students should not include non-directory information as defined in the University
Catalog under the section entitled "Privacy Rights of Students in Education Records." The following items of
information about students may be released: student's name, photograph, major field of study, participation in
officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance,
grade level, enrollment status, degrees, honors and awards received, the most recent previous educational agency
or institution attended by the student. While the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) does allow
such information release, this university reserves the right to place further restrictions on the release of
information. In addition, the student may specify in writing, in advance that they do not want this information
released.
- All users of email should understand that there are some circumstances in which the contents of
email may be disclosed to others. Sometimes this may be accidental. At other times it may be deliberate when the
university is investigating a technical or legal issue.
- Group Emails to students@runner.csub.edu
- Only the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Registrar are authorized to send group emails
to the all@runner.csub.edu address. It is understood that students campaigning for ASI positions will each be
allowed to send one message to the all@runner.csub.edu address. The office of the Vice President for Student
Affairs will work out the details for this and approve any such mailings. The office of the VPIR will be
allowed to send email to all@runner.csub.edu for purposes related to technical and/or maintenance issues
affecting the Runnermail service.
- No commercial use will be made of the student email list.
- Email to all@runner.csub.edu will contain the following information:
- Notice that this is a communication from California State University, Bakersfield.
- The office, email address, and a telephone number to verify the integrity of the email
address or to direct questions to the sender about the contents of the email.
- All messages should be in the plain text format, avoiding graphics and the use of
attachments.
- Students whose email privileges are restricted for disciplinary reasons will only receive
a written copy of emails sent to all@runner.csub.edu address. The Dean of Undergraduate Studies
will be copied on all emails sent to the all@runner.csub.edu address.
Confidentiality and Privacy Rights
All mail and email will be consistent with all university policies as well as local, state and federal law,
including, but not limited to, the California State University, Bakersfield Acceptable Use Policy and the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). {Refer to the University Catalog in the section entitled "Privacy Rights of Students
in Education Records" for more information or contact the Office of Admissions and Records.
It is a violation of university policies for any user of university mail or email addresses to impersonate a
university office, faculty/staff member or student.
(CSUB wishes to thank Cal Poly Pomona for sharing their 'communication with students' policy, from which this
policy was adopted)
July, 2004
Email Blocking Policy & Procedures
SPAM & Unsolicited Email:
Members of the CSUB Community who have received repeated and unwanted email may request
that the address of the sender of this email be blocked, which will have the effect of
preventing that email address from sending email to the campus. The email system administrator
will gather and review evidence of the unwanted email. When there is a "real" address that can
be replied to, the email system administrator will first attempt to inform the sender of the
unwanted email that they should stop sending unsolicited messages to the campus. If the
messages do not stop, the email administrator, in consultation with the Vice President for
Information Resources, will decide whether or not to block the email address.
Unsolicited email that in some fashion causes the email server to slow down or disrupt campus
communications will be immediately blocked to protect the integrity of the campus email service.
In such instances, the email system administrator has the authority to act immediately and will
inform the appropriate administrator of the action taken as soon as possible.
Threats of SPAM or other disruptions:
In cases where email SPAM or other undefined threats to our systems have been made but not
actually carried out, the email system administrator will seek to determine the nature of the
threat and gather evidence regarding the specifics. The email system administrator will review
the matter with the Vice President for Information Resources, who will then consult with
appropriate campus personnel to determine a course of action. Although, the email system
administrator will normally not block email simply on the threat that someone may SPAM the
campus. Email from known or previously identified SPAM sites may be blocked immediately if
there appears to be reason to do so.
RunnerMail Disclaimer
This disclaimer of liability applies to any general, special or consequential damages or injury
caused by any negligence, failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion,
defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communication line failure, theft or
destruction or unauthorized access to, alteration, or use, whether for breach of contract,
tortuous behavior, negligence, or under any other cause of action. You specifically acknowledge
that CSUB is not liable for any defamatory, offensive, infringing or illegal materials or conduct
on the part of, or attributable to, any third party. CSUB reserves the right to remove such
materials from its web site without liability.
Under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall CSUB be liable for any
special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the
materials in this site, even if CSUB or a CSUB authorized representative has been advised of the
possibility of such damages. Applicable law may not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability
or incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.
In no event shall CSUB's total liability to you for all damages, losses, and causes of action
(whether in contract, tort (including, but not limited to, negligence), or otherwise) exceed the
amount paid by you, if any, for accessing this site.
Website General Disclaimer
The materials on CSUB's Internet site are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind
either express or implied. To the fullest extent permissible pursuant to applicable law, CSUB
disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties
of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. CSUB does not warrant that the services
will meet your requirements, the functions contained in the materials will be uninterrupted or
error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that this site or the server that makes it
available are free of viruses or other harmful components. CSUB does not warrant or make any
representations regarding the use or the results of the use of the materials in this site in
terms of their correctness, accuracy, quality, reliability, appropriateness for a particular
task or application, or otherwise. No oral or written information or advice given by service
provider or its authorized representatives shall create a warranty. You are entirely responsible
for and assume all risk for use of the service and the materials on this site. In no event will
CSUB be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages even if CSUB has
been advised of the possibility of such damages. You should not use the service, web site or the
material contained therein where damage could result if an error occurred. CSUB does not warrant
or represent that its security procedures will prevent the loss of or improper access to your
data. CSUB is not responsible for transmission errors or corruption or security of information
carried over telecommunication/data lines.
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