Official email messages are once again flowing to University of Oregon inboxes after recent problems with delivery of some messages.
On Feb. 22, some employees reported finding legitimate UO messages in their junk email folders. Information Services confirmed that for certain official UO emails sent through third-party mass email systems, a significant portion were being delivered to people's junk folders.
"After several days of collaborative troubleshooting and consulting with our vendors, we've been able to tune our spam filtering systems to work better for the university," said Jeff Jones, director of digital work experience in Information Services. "We understand how much people rely on email and appreciate everyone's patience as we worked through this complex issue."
On Feb. 26, in the middle of the troubleshooting process, an "unverified" flag began appearing on some email messages. That unexpected side effect was resolved on Feb. 28.
Information Services and University Communications have been collaborating closely throughout the email disruptions and will continue working together to ensure official emails are delivered successfully to UO students, faculty and staff.
Rather than viewing the recent resolution as a permanent fix, Jones says he expects UO systems to continue needing occasional tuning in response to changes by vendors and others.
"Spam filtering and email security are an ever-changing domain," he said.
For that reason, Information Services recommends that all members of the UO community continue to check their junk email folders regularly for legitimate messages.
"It's especially helpful if you can report those messages as 'not junk' to help continuously train the spam filters," Jones said.
Anyone who has questions or concerns about email delivery can submit a ticket through the email and calendar help page of the UO Service Portal. Employees can also contact the IT staff who support their unit. Any member of the UO community can contact the Technology Service Desk.
—By Nancy Novitski, University Communications