Our Understanding of UCI’s ZotMail Policy

All elected officers of Associated Graduate Students are permitted to use ZotMail to communicate official positions with its constituents.

UCI’s History of Email Censorship

In January 2022, AGS tried to inform graduate students of neofascist, white supremacist activity on campus. We also admonished the University for failing to notify students about this activity despite sending “crime alerts” about commercial burglaries. UCI declined this email. After informal discussions with UCI, AGS Executive Team Members were under the impression that the issue would be addressed in a timely fashion. As of the writing of this email, UCI has not addressed our concerns.

In March 2022, AGS tried to communicate our opposition to the neglect of disabled and immunocompromised students, staff, and faculty during the forced reopening of campus last year and the abandonment of safety protocols, including universal masking. We also tried to inform you that UCI administration falsely claimed to consult undergraduate and graduate student government leadership in making these ableist decisions. AGS attempted to communicate this again to graduate students in April. UCI blocked these emails.

In June 2022, following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, AGS tried to email students to advertise a community care and support event. UCI declined this email. After an appeals process, the email was sent–too late for most constituents to see it in a timely manner.

In November 2022, AGS tried to email all graduate students declaring our support of graduate students’ right to strike. UCI blocked this email.

Following the censorship of our email supporting the right to strike, again in November 2022 AGS tried to email all graduate students reaffirming the importance of AGS’s ability to directly email all graduate students and opposing UCI’s confusing email policies. UCI blocked this email.

Also in November 2022, AGS tried to mitigate misleading emails from UCI administration about the ongoing strike. We clarified that faculty had the legal right to support the strike, including by withholding their own labor. UCI blocked this email.