MURA Communications Policy

MURA communicates through distribution of printed materials, email and a website. These media based services exist to support MURA in serving its members. Future directions may incorporate newer technologies, such as social media or apps, for example.

Interpretation of what is appropriate and relevant to communicate to our members should be inclusive and generous, rather than limiting or constraining.

Available resources and expertise as well as timeliness of submission may affect prioritization, scheduling or selection of items for communication.

General Guidelines

All materials for publication must satisfy community standards of legality, decency and good taste, in accordance with current Canadian legislation, including current federal anti-spam law (see Canada's Law on Spam and Other Electronic Threats).

Member submissions may have associated potential for personal profit or benefit, but MURA reserves the right to judge what constitutes an acceptable submission.

Retirees whose messages are being passed to the membership may designate themselves in any factual manner they choose.

Friends of MURA as defined by Council and/or the Executive (See Appendix) may be included in digital distributions at the discretion of the editors.

Content Guidelines

Unacceptable content includes but is not limited to:

1. Commercial advertising or business announcements
2. Investment opportunities
3. Political announcements or solicitations
4. Solicitations made on behalf of clubs or associations to which individual members belong
5. General solicitations and event promotions from the wider community (See below for specific exceptions)
6. Charitable or fundraising solicitations of any kind unless sponsored by the University
7. Invitations to purely social events, including those sponsored by entities within the University, unless sponsored by or for the University as a whole
8. Employment opportunities, unless emanating from within the University and targeted at MURA members
9. Requests for research subjects, unless coming from the University or its research partners

Acceptable content includes but is not limited to:

1. Member announcements of educational, cultural and scholarly activities
2. The management of MURA and its affairs
3. MURA sponsored events, activities, programs and projects
4. Relevant activities of any organization to which MURA belongs or with which it has a recognized affiliation
5. University, faculty or departmentally sponsored events, activities, programs and projects when deemed of potential interest to the membership as a whole
6. Notices and related items from the University and its partners, which solicit and facilitate members’ contributions to the study and research work of the University  (See current list of partners; it fluctuates often.)
7. MURA member opportunities for engagement in the wider non-profit community through volunteer work or other participatory activities of an educational, cultural or social nature.  (See current list of acceptable entities)
8. News from individual MURA members about their contributions to the academic, educational, or cultural life of the University or the wider community
9. News from individual MURA members about their newly published books and other publications, including sources for obtaining the publications when supplied by the author
10. Notices from MURA members about trips the member is leading if it complies with the MURA Trips Portfolio and Policy
    
11. Campus resourced information on free or reduced-fee services available to individual members as a by-product of their University association
12. Member submissions about workshops and lectures where there is involvement by a MURA member or McMaster University
13. Information about community productions, exhibits, and the like, when provided by a MURA member who is participating in the event

Requests for any exemptions from the above guidelines are to be sent to the MURA Executive for consideration and decision.

As adopted by MURA Council, May 11, 2016