New e-mail plan could save money
Campus offices may become more efficient

By Carrie Woodall
Staff Reporter

University offices will have the ability to be more efficient and cost-effective if the proposal for an official e-mail system is passed.

Students are not the only people who will see changes.

Michael Russel, associate dean of campus life, said the cost and speed of consistent e-mail will enhance and increase the level of communication as long as students read their university account.

“It is my hope that making e-mail a reliable source of communication will force students, faculty and staff to read their e-mail on a regular basis,” he said.

Russel said before the proposal can be approved, the university has to acknowledge that not every staff member has access to a computer, and not all of them know how to use the system.

“Part of the proposal is to investigate the possibilities to increase access for staff and to train anyone on campus who does not know how to use computers,” Russel said.

Mike Scott, director of scholarships and student financial aid, said students may be missing out on many benefits — including money — by not checking their university e-mail.

“I had a new scholarship available to only certain students last year,” he said. “Even though everyone that I e-mailed was eligible, a significant number of the students did not respond.”

Scott said if e-mail was reliable, the financial aid office could get information that applies to scholarships and aid sent more quickly. It is also less expensive to send e-mail than to send mail.

“We could use that money for more creative things instead of using thousands of dollars sending letters to parents and students,” Scott said.

Although e-mail is not a completely reliable source of communication on campus now, some offices have been using e-mail as a primary method of communicating to students.

Vanessa Lanzarotti, associate registrar, said the registrar’s office depends a great amount on the use of e-mail.

“Our office operates almost exclusively via e-mail, and we have probably since the summer and fall of 1999,” she said.

For us it works very well. I just wish there was a way to encourage students to use and read their e-mail.”

Lanzarotti said the registrar’s office tries not to send junk mail. They also try to make it known in the subject line that the information is important so that the mail is not deleted.

Karen Baker, assistant director of administration in Residential Services, said the housing department began using e-mail as a primary source of communication last spring.

“All the students have to do is hit reply in the e-mail to confirm their housing assignment,” she said. “It saves the student time and is a stress reliever for them and the office, too.”

Baker said responsibility for the e-mail system lies on everyone involved.

“E-mail that is reliable is very effective and economically efficient for everyone, especially offices on campus,” she said.

Carrie Woodall
c.d.woodall@student.tcu.edu