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UH may write off paper communication, official says

E-mail could be used for student correspondence

by Matthew Shepherd
The Daily Cougar

The University is planning to phase out printed mail in favor of e-mail as its official means of correspondence with students, a move that could save time and money.

The switch is still in the planning stage because the provost's office still has to develop policies governing both the change to and the operation of e-mail-based communication, said Brian McKinney, director of academic program management.

The Department of Information Technology mailed students a letter April 7 explaining the proposed change. Although it isn't necessary that students have UH e-mail accounts, the letter said it is important for students to ensure that their UH e-mail aliases point to their primary e-mail accounts so they can receive mail. That can be done through Enrollment Services on the UH Web site (www.uh.edu).

Before any changes can take place, the University must establish a set of governing policies detailing paperless communication protocol. The new policy is incubating before being approved by all the necessary administrators, including regents, college deans and University President Jay Gogue, according to McKinney.

"I haven't seen any definite day (when the change will take place)," Associate Registrar Patricia Cavanaugh said. The proposal is expected to pick up steam over the summer and into the fall, which McKinney said is the earliest it would likely be implemented.

E-mail-based communication is expected to be more energy- and cost-efficient for UH, he said.

"I think it's a very useful means of communication," he said. "It's so much quicker and easier than letters and things like that. It makes for so much more dialogue."

McKinney also cited postage and paper costs as factors in the switch, saying that a similar effort to move away from mailing grade reports -- which are now accessed over the telephone using the Voice Information Processing system or online -- has already been implemented.

"I don't know if (cost) is the only thing driving it," McKinney said.
 

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