Overview
This article is for staff or faculty needing to get information out to the campus community. This guide below gives direction on how to best communicate with student and employee audiences about campus emergencies, news, events, or other announcements. It includes communication tools and department contacts for help.
Table of Contents
Employee Communication Guide
Use this to help guide your communication when your audience is faculty and staff.
Level 1: Crisis or Emergency
Purpose and Timing
- Example: StarAlert messages, like campus closure.
- When to send: Immediate notifications required.
Channels and Tactics
See the protocol and channels outlined in the established procedures for class cancelation.
For emergencies, refer to:
Accountability and Authority
President and Provost
Level 2: Administrative announcement or directives
Purpose and Timing
- Example: Messages from cabinet members or on behalf of their division, like University policy changes.
- When to send: Immediate notifications typically not required but can be time sensitive.
Channels and Tactics
Highly Recommended:
- Email to All Staff list
- Employee focused email newsletters
- Social media
Other Channels:
- Update or add to website
- D2L faculty announcement (academic-related only)
- Campus digital displays
Accountability and Authority
Cabinet Member
Level 3: News
Purpose and Timing
- Example: Pertinent info, news, announcements, and updates of interest to staff and faculty, like fire alarm testing
- When to send: Immediate notifications typically not required
Channels and Tactics
Highly Recommended:
- Fountain news feed
- Employee focused email newsletters
- Social media
Other Channels:
- Appropriate website page update
- D2L faculty focused announcement (academic-related only)
- Campus digital displays
Accountability and Authority
Division, college, department or program responsible or to whom the news pertains.
Level 4: Events
Purpose and Timing
- Example: Events open to all and/or of interest to a large percentage of employees, like new student rally
- When to send: Immediate notifications typically not required
Channels and Tactics
Highly Recommended:
- University and Fountain events calendars
- Employee focused email newsletters
- Social media
Other Channels:
- Live broadcast your event
- Print promotions
- Campus digital displays
Accountability and Authority
Division, college, department or program in charge of the event.
Student Communication Guide
Use this to help guide your communication when your audience is students.
Level 1: Crisis or emergency
Purpose and Timing
- Example: StarAlert messages, like campus closure
- When to send: Immediate notifications required
Channels and Tactics
See the protocol and channels outlined in the established procedures for class cancelation.
For emergencies, refer to:
Accountability and Authority
President and Provost
Level 2: Administrative announcement or directives
Purpose and Timing
- Example: Messages from cabinet members or on behalf of their division, like University policy changes.
- When to send: Immediate notifications typically not required but can be time sensitive
Channels and Tactics
Highly Recommended:
- Mav Life wall news post
- Email All Student list
- Website posting
- Social media
- Student focused email newsletters
Other Channels:
- Mav Life tile or banner
- D2L student focused announcement (academic-related only)
- Campus digital displays
Accountability and Authority
Cabinet member
Level 3: News
Purpose and Timing
- Example: Pertinent info, news, announcements, and updates of interest to students, like fire alarm testing
- When to send: Immediate notifications typically not required
Channels and Tactics
Highly Recommended:
- Website news or page update
- Mav Life wall news post
- Social media
- Student focused email newsletters
Other Channels:
- Campus digital displays
- D2L student focused announcement (academic-related only)
Accountability and Authority
Division, college, department or program responsible or to whom the news pertains.
Level 4: Events
Purpose and Timing
- Example: Events open to all and/or of interest to a large percentage of students, like new student rally
- When to send: Immediate notifications typically not required
Channels and Tactics
Highly Recommended:
- Mav Life event
- Website event
- University events calendar
- Social media
- Student focused email newsletters
Other Channels:
- Mav Life wall news post
- Campus digital displays
- Live broadcast your event
- Print promotions
Accountability and Authority
Division, college, department or program in charge of the event.
Communication Resources and Tools
Use these tactics to distribute your information across campus to different audiences.
Email Newsletters
Broad email communications that happen across campus that may be open to including additional content.
Reslife Newsletter
- Audience: ResLife students
- Frequency: Weekly during school year (Mondays)
- Contact: Nicole Faust
- Tool: Salesforce CRM and Beefree
Maverick Insider
- Audience: Students
- Frequency: Weekly during semester (Sunday evening)
- Contact: Lenny Koupal
- Tool: Salesforce CRM and Beefree
Maverick Family Connection Newsletter
IT Solutions Newsletter
- Audience: Students
- Frequency: Once at the start and end of each semester
- Contact: Lexi Ajayi
- Tool: Salesforce CRM and Beefree
Print
Options for printing and distributing physical materials on campus.
CAN (Captive Audience Newsletter)
- Location: Bathrooms in the CSU
- Sizing: 2” x 2”
- Department: Centennial Student Union
- Contact: Lenny Koupal
Dining Center Table Tents
Posters: CSU
- Location: Various bulletins around CSU
- Sizing: 11” x 17”
- Quantity: Maximum 7
- Department: Centennial Student Union
- Contact: Lenny Koupal
Posters: Memorial Library
- Location: Various bulletins around Memorial Lirbary
- Sizing: 11” x 17” or 8.5"x11"
- Department: Memorial Library
Posters: ResLife
- Location: Residence communities
- Sizing: 11” x 17”
- Quantity: Maximum 6
- Department: ResLife
- Contact: Nicole Faust
Posters: Academic Buildings
- Location: General bulletins in academic buildings
- Sizing: 11” x 17”
- Department: Centennial Student Union (Requires Stamp)
- Contact: Lenny Koupal
Civility Poster Frames
- Location: 14 locations across campus
- Sizing: 24"x36"
- Department: University Marketing and Communications
- Contact: Sara Frederick
Security Glass Bulletins
- Location: Various across campus
- Sizing: 11"x17" or 8.5"x11"
- Quantity: Maximum 42
- Department: University Security
- Contact: Sandi Schnorenberg
Interoffice Print Mail
Digital Displays
Digital TV displays on campus that may be open to featuring content.
Indoor Centennial Student Union
- Location: Several located around the CSU
- Department: Centennial Student Union
- Contact: Lenny Koupal
Outdoor Centennial Student Union
- Location:
- North entrance
- Specs: 270px x 150px (9'x5')
- Details: Images or short videos
- South entrance
- Specs: 108px x 72px (3'x2')
- Details: Text only
- Department: Centennial Student Union
- Contact: Lenny Koupal
IT Solutions
- Location: Near Wigley Administration, in the ITS Office (ML 3010), and Esports Facility (Wissink Hall 121)
- Department: IT Solutions
- Contact: Lexi Ajayi
Other/Miscellaneous
Other tactics that are available to explore.
The Fountain
- Audience: Faculty and staff
- Description: Internal site for employee news, info, and events. Each division is assigned a content librarian for their division Fountain page who is responsible for sharing news and events from their areas.
- Contact: Submit a Fountain event or submit Fountain news
MavLife
D2L Announcements
University Website
- Audience: Public
- Description: Public-facing website for university information. The website is managed by approved web editors and publishers.
- Department: University Marketing and Communications
- Contact: Submit a ticket to request website assistance
CSU Blog
- Audience: Students
- Description: Short, blog-style stories.
- Department: Centennial Student Union
- Contact: Lenny Koupal
Salesforce
Video and Digital Media Production
University Events Calendar
- Audience: Students, faculty, staff
- Description: Events calendar that lists campus-wide events.
- Department: University Scheduling and Conference Services
- Contact: Email university scheduling
- Audience: Students, faculty, staff
- Description: Utilize your department’s social media platforms to share messages, ask other departments to share or repost.
Giveaways, Swag, and Promo Items
- Audience: Students, faculty, staff
- Description: Explore fun tactics like branded merchandise and giveaways.
- Department: Creative Production
- Contact: Ryan Schuh