After receiving an extensive e-mail this summer regarding the implementation of a new e-mail system, we are still confused about the new changes. Not only are we unsure about critical details of the pilot program, but many students are unaware that this pilot program even exists. Instead, they hold the mistaken impression that all student e-mail accounts will soon be switched over to Live@Edu and that this change will happen automatically.

We know that a pilot program will soon be launched that will allow a select group of students to test out the Microsoft Live@Edu system before the University decides to make the switch permanently. We also know exactly what the Live@Edu system includes, and it seems appropriate that Student Union (SU) is enthusiastic to promote it: Microsoft Office products, lots of storage space and connection with social networking sites will certainly be appealing to students.

What we do not know, however, is when the pilot program will begin and how many students will be able to participate. We are also unsure how the University plans to collect and use feedback from the pilot group. Will students be required to fill out surveys or attend focus groups? What sort of reaction from students would cause the University either to adopt or to reject the program? These details need to be made available to students who are considering participating in the pilot program.

It is troubling that this mass communication has failed to address these critical and pertinent questions.

With SU’s new commitment to being as open and as communicative as possible, there is a real risk of information overload. While we appreciate SU’s efforts to keep us informed, SU needs to ensure that its student body e-mails are brief, concise and contain the topic’s most significant details. Given the prevalence of new forms of communication—we can follow SU on Twitter and connect with them on their Web site—it seems unnecessary to enumerate new policies in an e-mail, especially when the e-mail itself provides the links to these online forms of communication.

In his latest e-mail to the student body, Student Union President Jeff Nelson addressed this concern and said that he did not want to clog the student body’s inboxes with unnecessary e-mails. We encourage Student Union to follow through on this message throughout the year.

Our aim is not solely to protect the student body from an unnecessary flood of messages. More importantly, we worry that the effectiveness of SU’s communication is diluted when the student body receives too many unnecessary and long e-mails and begins to hit ‘delete.’ The lack of awareness regarding the pilot program is one clear example of this effect. Although students received the information, it was not presented in a way that got the point across.

Given the enthusiasm we have observed from this year’s SU officers, this phenomenon is unfortunate. In order to ensure that its important messages are received, SU ought to link to online content instead of including large bodies of e-mail text and aim to make all communication as concise and relevant as possible.