Get Herald RSSStudents accustomed to scrolling through a dozen or more items in Morning Mail, Brown's daily electronic communication, can begin to expect a much shorter list. Due to a new policy announced last week, only events that can accommodate over 300 people will be advertised in Morning Mail.
The bulletin states that the change in policy "responds to comments and requests from the Morning Mail readership and will help realign Morning Mail with its original mission as a vehicle for announcements." This justification is vague and bizarre: Morning Mail has almost never, at least in the past four years, carried anything but announcements. Administrators may have thought that students weren't reading the e-mail because it was too long.
This concern, though understandable, won't be resolved by the new policy. Students who didn't already read Morning Mail aren't going to start simply because it contains five announcements instead of 15. The e-mail already features a digest that makes it easy to scan for items of interest. Furthermore, the new policy hasn't radically altered the kinds of announcements carried, just the number - Tuesday's Morning Mail listed the same kinds of career info sessions and community volunteer opportunities as always, but fewer of them. The University's administrators typically send out a separate campus-wide e-mail if an announcement is especially important.
The new policy could pose a hardship for campus organizations and the community they seek to serve. Though student groups have access to a listserv through MyGroups, this service only reaches their current members. Groups seeking to advertise a show, fundraiser or lecture in a small space will now have a much harder time informing the community about their projects. This is a disservice not only to groups but to students who might attend events.
Finally, the policy arbitrarily limits announcements to events in places that can accommodate over 300 people, a restriction which excludes practically every event at Brown. Leeds Theater can accommodate only 202 people. Grant Recital Hall can accommodate 133, while Production Workshop's black box theater can fit 239. Even Salomon 001 can only fit 224. It doesn't seem to be the University's intention to decrease attendance at events in these locations, but that's precisely what will happen if it adheres to the new guidelines.
Brown should consider restoring Morning Mail to its old form, or eliminating it altogether. For notifications important to everyone in the community, the University can continue to send out campus-wide e-mails. Student groups could announce their events through several topical listservs that students could easily join or unsubscribe from online. The new policy sees Morning Mail as a tool for the administration, but it really should serve the whole community.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials[at]browndailyherald.com.
