Sending Massmails / DDDH

There are multiple bulk email options for publishing events or news at UIC. Massmails and DDDH emails are described below. Official emails are sent from administrative offices such as the University President, Chancellor, Provost, and Vice President for Health Affairs. The UIC Calendar of Events also allows for the posting of both events and classified ads which are distributed as a daily digest email to subscribers.

Massmails

Massmails can be sent by any UIC e-mail user for a fee. They are restricted to events on campus or sponsored by campus units.

The Massmail system is not designed to send out items immediately. Due to the volume of the transmissions, the system holds processed requests until late at night or early-morning hours when traffic is lighter. Because massmails have an overnight delivery during the regular work week, they cannot be requested for Monday.

Massmails can be sent as plain text only or as html plus plain text. Please follow directions for the type of message you wish to send. Note that fees differ.

Plain Text only

To ensure timely delivery, submit plain text massmail requests (instructions and copy) by noon one-and-a-half business days prior to the day you wish your message to appear in mailboxes. Due to heavy volume, please do not submit more than three days prior to desired date of receipt. For repeat massmails, please re-submit at the appropriate time in a separate request.

Submissions should be sent to publicaffairs@uic.edu with:

Clear instructions as to timing and which list(s) — see Fees below — are to receive
FOAPAL (for campus units) or Check (UIC student groups only)
Subject line
UIC reply-to e-mail address
Body of message, including Statement of Accommodation for public events (“If you require any accommodations to participate in the please contact [name, phone, e-mail] ).
Attaching the body as a Microsoft Word document will help avoid unwanted line-breaks in the massmail. For desired line-breaks, insert a hard-return. For a blank line between paragraphs, insert two hard-returns. Note that Word formatting will not show up in plain text. Curly quotes, em-dashes (long dashes) and other special characters should be avoided.
If your message links to a PDF file, the PDF should be created in an accessible manner and be noted as an accessible PDF file. Accessible PDF files allow people with disabilities to access the file information with their assistive technology. For information or training on creating accessible PDF files, contact Kevin Price at the Disability Resource Center at 312-413-0886. Online resources include: Creating Accessible PDF Documents with Adobe Acrobat 7.0 and PDF Accessibility: Defining Acrobat PDF Accessibility.

HTML plus Plain Text

The News Bureau, in accordance with UIC policy, requires that electronic communication, including e-mails, is accessible. To send an HTML e-mail, you must follow these requirements.:

In addition to the HTML, the message must include a plain text version which includes all information contained in the html version, including full descriptions for graphs, diagrams, and other meaningful images
The HTML e-mail cannot include attachments or images, only styled content. To use images in your message, the image files must include alt tags and be hosted externally.
We also require a link to an accessible Web version of the e-mail in the first line of the e-mail body. We recommend “Having trouble viewing this e-mail? View in Web Browser” or “View this e-mail online.”
Put the most important information in the subject line.

Requests for HTML e-mails which don’t meet these requirements may significantly delay distribution of your message. Submissions should be sent to publicaffairs@uic.edu with:

Clear instructions as to timing and which list(s) — see Fees below — are to receive
FOAPAL (for campus units) or Check (UIC student groups only)
Subject line
UIC reply-to e-mail address
Statement of Accommodation for public events (“If you require any accommodations to participate in the please contact [name, phone, e-mail] ).
If your message links to a PDF file, the PDF should be created in an accessible manner and be noted as an accessible PDF file. Accessible PDF files allow people with disabilities to access the file information with their assistive technology. For information or training on creating accessible PDF files, contact Kevin Price at the Disability Resource Center at 312-413-0886. Online resources include: Creating Accessible PDF Documents with Adobe Acrobat 7.0 and PDF Accessibility: Defining Acrobat PDF Accessibility.

For more information on accessible HTML, please visit the Web Accessibility at UIC site.

Fees:

Plain text only
$125 to students$125 to faculty and/or staff
$250 to students PLUS faculty and/or staff
HTML plus plain text
$150 to students$150 to faculty and/or staff
$300 to students PLUS faculty and/or staff

DDDH

Messages can be sent to Deans, Directors, and Department heads (DDDH) for $35. Submissions should also be sent to publicaffairs@uic.edu with FOAPAL.

To stop receiving massmail — Instructions are given at the bottom of each Massmail, or set your email options online.

Other publicity options are described on the Communicating on Campus page.