Email address policy

1. Policy
2. Purpose
3. Scope
4. Responsibilities
5. Oversight

1. Policy

1.1 Name-based email addresses are reserved exclusively for individuals with a valid affiliation at the University. This follows the convention of forename.surname@york.ac.uk.

1.1.1 No Undergraduate (UG) or Postgraduate Taught (PGT) student is eligible to register a name-based email address, unless in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of IT Services.

1.1.2 Member of staff are required to register a name-based email address as part of the University’s account setup process.

1.1.3 Students with both student and staff affiliations may optionally register a name-based email address, and will be invited to do so via email once eligible.

1.1.4 Associate staff may optionally register a name-based email address via the University’s identity management system.

1.1.5 Postgraduate Research Students (PGRs) may optionally request a name-based email address via IT Support.

1.1.6 No other accounts are eligible for an address that falls under the name-based email address format. This includes addresses separated by dots, or addresses that contain, or are derived from a person’s name. There are no exceptions to this.

1.1.7 A leaver who holds a name-based email address will have their address enter a moratorium for two years after the person has left. Whilst the University reserves the right to reissue addresses, currently email addresses are not eligible for reissue.

1.1.8 If a leaver re-joins the University and previously held a name-based email address, they are eligible to have their former name-based email address attached to their new account, subject to sufficient identity checks.

1.1.9 A user will not normally be eligible to change their name-based email address, unless in situations where the user has officially changed their name at the University. Any changes to a name-based email address in these circumstances must match, or be a derivative of the name the user has provided to the University as part of the name change process, or be an address that the user once held.

1.1.10 The active owner of a name-based email address may choose, at their own discretion, to relinquish their name-based email address with an understanding that emails delivered to the former address would be delivered to the new holder.

1.1.11 No member or position at the University must influence whether a user is to relinquish an address under any circumstances.

1.2 Any other email addresses, attached to Non-Personal Accounts (NPAs), will follow the correct naming conventions, as defined below.

1.2.1 Custom email addresses, other than name-based email addresses, cannot be attached to an individual’s personal account and must instead be attached to a NPA, requested via IT Support.

1.2.2 Email addresses should contain a valid departmental / area prefix, or a descriptive suffix from an agreed list, maintained by IT Services.

1.2.3 Email addresses without a valid prefix or suffix can only be requested in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of IT Services and Marketing.

1.2.4 Email addresses must not contain offensive, derogatory or controversial names that may otherwise reflect negatively on the University.

1.2.5 Email addresses must be requested in all lowercase with multiple words or terms delimited by hyphens, unless there are exceptional circumstances, and at the discretion of IT Services.

1.2.6 As per 1.1.6: NPAs cannot be allocated an address that conflicts with the name-based email address policy. This includes addresses that contain dots, or addresses that imitate, derive from or reference another individual's name.

1.2.7 Email addresses cannot be issued where the address is in the format of a University username, for example abc123, irrespective of whether the username exists.

1.3 Special considerations are to be followed as outlined below.

1.3.1 Email addresses created for, and on behalf of conferences, must have a valid end date attached to the underlying NPA, automatically deprovisioning the account.

1.3.2 Where prefixes are to be used, these should be consistent between departments or areas.

1.3.3 Where a departmental rename has taken place, the department should work with IT Services to ensure a new prefix is allocated and a consistent transition takes place.

2. Purpose

2.1 The purpose of this policy is to ensure the integrity, management and fair allocation of email addresses under the york.ac.uk namespace.

3. Scope

3.1 The policy applies to any request for an email address issued by or on behalf of IT Services.

4. Responsibilities

4.1 Account owners are responsible for ensuring that any addresses no longer needed are reported to IT Services for de-provisioning.

4.2 IT Services are responsible for ensuring that the internal list of prefixes and suffixes is up to date, and responsible for complying with this policy when processing requests for new email addresses.

4.3 Collaborative Tools Steering Group is responsible for periodically reviewing this policy to ensure it is current.

5. Oversight

5.1 Subsequent updates to this policy are to be made between IT Services and the Collaborative Tools Steering Group.

Approved on 2 February 2022 by Collaborative Tools Steering Group.