Intercom Guideline

Mission

Intercom is the official University-wide newsletter for UT Dallas faculty and staff members. This periodic publication is designed to provide University employees with important information necessary for the workplace, as well as community news that supports the University’s mission. There is no “opt-out” provision for this communication for employees of the University.

Submissions

Intercom emphasizes sharing information critical to workplace success, including announcements about employee benefits, organizational changes and policy matters, among other topics. The newsletter also accepts items on University-sponsored events, athletic events, campus events, programs, seminars, fundraisers, etc. These are secondary to the main mission of the newsletter, and their publication is at the sole discretion of the editors.

Messages are generally expected to consist of a short summary linking to more information on existing department or organization web pages.

Guidelines:

• Contact Information – Every item in Intercom needs an email address or the phone number of someone who can answer questions about the announcement. This contact information will be posted with the item.
• Length – Submissions must be one paragraph in length and, whenever possible, include hyperlinks to relevant Web pages. The supplier of this information is solely responsible for the content of any material found through a link to another page.
• Eligibility – Only submissions from UT Dallas faculty or staff members will be considered for inclusion. Submissions must be made directly from a University email account. Submissions from non-UT Dallas email accounts will be disregarded.
• Deadlines – Items must be submitted to the Intercom editor a week before the Intercom distribution date, currently the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Any items that have missed the deadline will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
• Format for submissions – Preference will be given to short announcements that link to UT Dallas Web pages. Items may be submitted as a Word document attachment or sent as an email message. The email address is intercom@utdallas.edu. Do not submit fliers and/or PDF documents with information embedded in them—these will be disregarded. Items should include all of the essential information (who, what, where, when, costs and contact information).

Content

Intercom lists only University-related news or events sponsored by official University groups, organizations or departments. Registered student organizations hosting events or fundraisers intended primarily for a student audience should use the UT Dallas Comet Calendar or the UTD Mercury student newspaper.

• Frequency – Lectures, conferences and seminars will be listed for no more than two issues. Fundraising events will not be listed in Intercom unless the proceeds go to the University, a related organization or, as in the case of the State Employee Charitable Campaign or the Alumni Association, the event is an officially sanctioned beneficiary.
• Editing – Any item submitted may be edited for clarity, style and space consideration.
• Editorial Considerations – The final decision for any item to be included rests solely with the UT Dallas University Web Services office. Any appeals for inclusion or clarification on policy should be directed first to the editor of Intercom. The Senior Director of University Web Services and/or the Senior Web Content Editor will be the final arbiter of any issue related to this publication.

Content may include the following:

• Commercial Promotions – Only internal commercial services, such as the UT Dallas Bookstore, etc., will be considered in terms of offering/promoting special rates or discount offers to University employees. External companies or organizations wishing to promote discounted prices/rates through Intercom will not be included.
• Events on Campus – Entertainment events, such as concerts and family shows, may be included in Intercom as a service to the University community. The Office of Communications reserves the right to accept or deny publication of any event in Intercom. In general, an announcement about an event, such as a lecture, should run in Intercom the week before either the actual date of the event or the R.S.V.P. deadline. No item will run for more than two issues.
• Personnel Items – Personnel items, such as new hires, promotions and retirements, will be included in Intercom at the director level and above.
• Research Requests, Grant Proposals and Calls for Papers – Departments and schools/colleges wishing to publicize requests for research and grant proposals and papers from external organizations should contact the Office of the Vice President for Research.
• Requests for Research Subjects – Intercom will not publish requests for human research subjects from any University school, college or department.
• Student Organizations – Student events or fundraisers are not eligible for inclusion in UTD Intercom. These groups should use the Comet Calendar, This Week at UT Dallas and the UTD Mercury.

For urgent items concerning the public safety and security of the University community or information concerning pending or imminent weather events, please contact the UT Dallas Police Department at 911.