VCU TelegRAM guidelines

VCU TelegRAM is an e-mail forum for Virginia Commonwealth University students, faculty and staff, published by the Office of Communications and Public Relations. It is only used to announce VCU business and events that are of university-wide interest. Approved messages are compiled and appear in your inbox weekdays.

• Submission deadline is noon the weekday before publication.
• Submissions may only be made by members of the VCU community.
• Items are published at Communications and Public Relations’ discretion.
• Items must be 500 characters or fewer.
• Items must be submitted on the online form, found at www.vcu.edu/telegRAM/submission.html.
• Items must be relevant to a vast majority of members of at least one audience – students, faculty or staff.
• Submitted events must be sponsored by a university-affiliated group or organization.
• Submissions that regard fund-raising activities will be considered at the discretion of OCPR only if they are sponsored by a VCU entity to benefit a VCU organization or other nonprofit group that does not directly compete with VCU organizations or programs.
• Items must have a contact person/phone number or contact URL for more information.
• Contact e-mails must have VCU addresses.
• Those submitting items are responsible for their accuracy.
• Items are run at CPRs’ discretion, generally no more than two times.
• Items that fail to meet the criteria will not be considered.
• Communications and Public Relations edit submissions for appropriate style and length.

Content and Format

Senders are responsible for the accuracy of the information submitted and for ensuring the information is in a readable format. Therefore, messages with incomplete information or improper formatting will be rejected. Though OCPR will review messages for appropriateness, it is not responsible for content accuracy. Therefore, it is important that you verify the accuracy of all dates, locations, phone numbers, addresses, e-mail addresses and URLs before submitting your message.

Note: To avoid the appearance of spam, the use of capital letters (except acronyms) and improper or excessive use of punctuation may result in your message being edited or rejected.

Sample Entries

Jodi from MTV’s Road Rules 13 Visits VCU
InterVarsity presents Jodi from MTV’s Road Rules 13 and the Gauntlet today, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Student Commons Theatre. The reality TV personality will speak on her experiences on the TV shows and her faith. Admission is free. For more information, contact Megan Smith, smithmt2@vcu.edu.

VCU Staff Senate Leadership Development Conference Series
The VCU Staff Senate is sponsoring a videoconference on “Managing Change and Creating Opportunities for Success” featuring Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” on Wednesday, April 26, in recognition of Administrative Professionals Day. For registration information, visit www.vcu.edu/staffsenate.

Examples of TelegRAM messages

• Notices about on-campus activities, social or cultural events
• Information regarding facility hours or logistics
• Changes in class and program offerings
• Other announcements deemed relevant to university business

TelegRAM will not be used for:

• Job postings
• Classified ads
• Club or organization regular meetings (initial organizational recruitment meetings of the semester will be considered)
• Lost and found
• Any message not relevant to a vast majority of faculty, staff or students