UBC Student and Alumni Email - Terms of Service

Thank you for subscribing to the email address, email forwarding and email mailbox services for the University of British Columbia (UBC) referred herein to as the "Services". By using the Services, you agree to the following terms of service (the "Terms of Service"):

Description of the Services

These services are optional. If you opt-in you will be given a student/alumni email address, using an alias based on the following pattern: [Display Name] name@alumni.ubc.ca ("Student and Alumni Email Address"). Student and Alumni Email Addresses are issued for the sole use of the person to whom they were issued. Student and Alumni Email Addresses are not to be shared, given, rented, sold or reassigned to any third parties, unauthorized users or organizations.

All emails sent to the Student and Alumni Email Address will automatically be forwarded by UBC either to an external personal account or UBC hosted mailbox that you have designated for the Services (the "Target Account"). You may change your Target Account at any time. UBC is not responsible for managing the content of your designated Target Account.

Eligibility for the Services

The Services are for the exclusive use of UBC students and alumni who are (or have previously been):

  • enrolled in a credit course at UBC, or
  • registered in a degree program at UBC, or
  • a Medical resident

Any questions about eligibility for the Services will be decided by the Vice President, Students.

The continued availability of the Services is subject to various considerations. UBC offers the Services on a gratuitous basis and may discontinue or modify the Services or these Terms of Service at any time at its sole and absolute discretion, without prior notice.

Creating Your Alias

In order to use the Services, you will be required to create an email alias for the Student and Alumni Email Address, based on the following pattern: name@alumni.ubc.ca. Student and Alumni Email Address aliases must meet the following criteria: (a) they must be respectable (not profane, libelous, slanderous or derogatory); (b) they must not misrepresent the identity as sender (you) of messages nor the content of such messages; and (c) not deceive or defame others. You may change your email alias at any time.

Choosing Your Target Account

You may designate one of the following as your Target Account:

  • an account with an internet service provider that you have created for personal use, or
  • a student/alumni mailbox hosted at UBC ("UBC-Hosted Mailbox").

You may change your Target Account at any time.

Your Target Account must not be a UBC work account (e.g. name@ubc.ca) or business account (e.g. used for commercial purposes, profit making or for the benefit of non-UBC affiliated organizations) unless expressly authorized or consistent with UBC's policies and procedures.

Authorized Purposes Only

You agree that you will only use the Services for personal use.

If you are a UBC employee, instructor or faculty member, you agree not to use the Services for purposes connected with your employment, collective agreement or UBC business. UBC business conducted by a UBC employee, instructor or faculty member must only be conducted using secure internal email accounts provided by UBC for the specific purposes of their employment, collective agreement or business relationship with UBC.

Corresponding with UBC Employees or Faculty Members

By using the Services, you are authorizing UBC employees, instructors and faculty members to send personal messages to you at your Student and Alumni Email Address, including providing information about news, events, course work and services. Certain UBC teaching assistants, instructors or faculty members may require students to conduct course work or academic endeavors through email communications and you may use your Student and Alumni Email Address for this purpose, however, by providing your Student and Alumni Email Address to such UBC teaching assistants, instructors or faculty members, your Student and Alumni Email Address may be disclosed to other students in the same course. If you prefer not to provide your Student and Alumni Email Address, then you may activate and provide an alternative temporary email account for such circumstances.

Custody and Control of Information

UBC will comply with all applicable legislation, including the B.C. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, with respect to the Services. By using the Services, you are authorizing UBC to store the address of your designated Target Account. UBC will not disclose this Target Account address to third parties without your express consent, unless otherwise required or permitted by law.

Emails sent to your Student or Alumni Email Address will be forwarded by UBC automatically to your Target Account. UBC claims no ownership, custody or control over the content of your emails. It will not monitor or access these emails without your express consent, unless otherwise required or permitted by law. UBC may, however, use filters to automatically block spam, bulk emails or other email messages which can interfere with the operation of the Services.

If you choose the optional UBC-Hosted Mailbox as your Target Account, you are aware and acknowledge that your Student and Alumni Email Address and the associated calendar's free/busy information may become public (e.g. shared with other users of the Service or recipients of your emails).

Storage of Information Outside Canada

Information stored outside Canada may not be as secure as information stored in Canada. When you designate a Target Account that is hosted outside Canada, you are consenting to the storage of your emails outside Canada and you are acknowledging that your account will be subject to the laws of the foreign jurisdiction. If you are not sure where your Target Account is hosted, check with your service provider.

Acceptable Use

You are aware of and agree to act in accordance with all relevant UBC Policies, which are available at: http://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/.  Please note that these Services are not subject to Policy #104, Acceptable Use and Security of UBC Electronic Information and Systems, because that policy only applies to systems used for university business purposes.

You are responsible for any misuse of the Services that originate from your account, even activities committed by any friend, family, co-worker, employee, guest or anyone with access to the account. You must ensure that others not gain unauthorized access to your account.

UBC reserves the right to limit the number or size of email messages that you can send through the Services in a 24 hour day.

The following uses of the Services are prohibited:

  • violating or promoting violations of local, provincial, federal or international law, order or regulation,
  • sending unsolicited bulk or commercial messages ("spam", "chain letters," or "pyramid schemes"),
  • collecting responses from unsolicited email sent from accounts on other Internet hosts or email services which violates these Terms of Service or the acceptable use policy of any other Internet service provider,
  • mail bombing (i.e. sending numerous copies of the same or substantially similar messages, or sending very large messages or files to a recipient, with the intent to disrupt a server or account),
  • forging, altering or removing electronic mail headers (exception: you may insert additional characters into your FROM and REPLY TO addresses in order to prevent your true address from being automatically added to the mailing lists used by bulk emailers. In this case, your true address must remain obvious to any human viewer. For example, you may substitute nospam.john.smith@alumni.ubc.ca for john.smith@alumni.ubc.ca),
  • propagating chain letters, whether or not the recipient wishes to receive such mailings,
  • distributing any unlawful, defamatory, harassing, abusive, fraudulent, obscene, or otherwise objectionable content,
  • intentionally distributing viruses, worms, defects, Trojan horses, corrupted files, hoaxes, or any other items of a destructive or deceptive nature,
  • selling, exchanging or distributing to a third party the email addresses of any person without such person's knowing and continued consent to such disclosure,
  • impersonating another person (via the use of an email address or otherwise) or otherwise misrepresenting yourself or the source of any email;
  • interfering with other users' enjoyment of the Services,
  • creating multiple user accounts,
  • selling, trading, reselling or otherwise exploiting a Student or Alumni Email Address or UBC-Hosted Mailbox for any commercial purpose,
  • modifying, adapting, translating, or reverse engineering any portion of the Services, or
  • removing any copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights notices contained in or on the Services.

Termination of Services

You agree that UBC may suspend or terminate your use of the Services, in whole or in part, in its sole and absolute discretion, without notice, if (a) UBC determines that you have violated the Terms of Service, or (b) suspension or termination is otherwise deemed appropriate by the Vice President, Student. If your use of the Services is terminated, you may have no further access to emails or any other information you have generated or received using the Services.

You may cancel or suspend the Services at any time.

Choice of Law

These Terms of Service and the relationship between you and UBC shall be governed by the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the laws of Canada applicable therein. You irrevocably consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Indemnity

You agree to hold harmless and indemnify UBC, the members of its Senate, Board of Governors and any party employed by or acting on behalf of UBC (collectively "UBC and Partners") from and against any third party claim arising from or in any way related to your use of the Services, violation of the Terms of Service or a violation of any rights of another connected with your use of the Services, including any liability or expense arising from all claims, losses, damages, suits, judgments, litigation costs and legal fees, of every kind and nature. This indemnity shall survive any termination or expiry of the Terms of Service.

No Warranty

You expressly understand and agree that your use of the Services is at your sole risk. The Services are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. UBC does not guarantee the Services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, or that data loss will not occur. UBC and Partners disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including without limitation, the implied warranties of title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

Limitation of Liability

YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT UBC AND PARTNERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF UBC HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES; (ii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iii) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICES; OR (iv) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SERVICES.

General

The following provisions survive the termination or expiry of the Terms of Service: Custody and Control of Information; Choice of Laws, Indemnity, No Warranty, Limitation of Liability and General.

If any provision in the Terms of Service is determined to be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part, such invalidity or unenforceability attaches only to such provision and everything else in this Term of Service continues to be in full force and effect.

The Terms of Service constitute the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior commitments, representations and warranties made by either party prior to the date of your acceptance of the Terms of Service.