I am addressing this issue to the UTC list because I am not sure who the ultimate UTC authority on this matter is.  I made several telephone calls about this matter Friday, but I received conflicting information.  

I use Comcast email at home.  I do a large amount of work at home (like many other UTC faculty and staff), and I send that work to school via my Comcast email.  Also, when I am working from home, I send emails to colleagues via the Comcast email because I often find Onenet cumbersome to use from home.  Over the past two weeks, my Comcast emails have been rejected at UTC.  Other UTC faculty members have told me they have experienced similar "kicked back" emails.  While some UTC technical folks seem unaware of this problem, others say that since many pieces of spam come from Comcast addresses, then all Comcast email is probably just blocked from UTC.  

We went through this recently with Yahoo adresses and now with Comcast.  If we begin blocking every email from a Yahoo address, a Comcast address, a Hotmail addrress, etc., then eventually we will only be able to receive UTC email.  Great!  So the next time a prospective student wants to email the University Honors Program, the Chemistry Department, the Marketing Department, the Admissions Office, the Housing Office or any other office on campus from a non-UTC address, that prospective student's email will be rejected!  Smart move!  Next time a potential donor tries to email the Development Office to ask a question about ways to give money, the potential donor's email will be rejected!  Wonderful.

I am all for getting rid of spam, but aren't we throwing the baby out with the bath water?

Joanie Sompayrac, CPA, JD
Associate Professor of Accounting

Dr. Joanie Sompayrac
Associate Professor of Accounting
UT-Chattanooga