Exchange Distribution Lists
Exchange Distribution Lists are a convenient way to communicate by email with groups of people at KU. KU offers two different list serving methods: Exchange Distribution lists and ListProc. Click on "Choosing a mailing list at KU" for an explanation of the differences between these two choices. If you need to include people in your mailing list who are not at KU, or need to have users self-subscribe, ListProc will be a better choice for you.
- What is an Exchange Distribution List?
- How is an Exchange Distribution List different from my personal distribution list?
- How do I request a list?
- How do I request a change to an Exchange distribution list?
- How do I use a list?
- How do I know who is on a list?
- Some people on the list say they are not receiving list mail.What is causing this?
- What do I do if I am having problems?
- What is an Exchange Distribution List?
An Exchange Distribution List is a list of email addresses that can be generated for groups using staff or student information. For example: all of the faculty and staff employed in a certain department, all the students enrolled in a certain class, etc. As information changes in Human Resources and Student Records, the lists update automatically so they will always match the most current data. - How is an Exchange Distribution List different from my personal distribution list?
An Exchange Distribution List is hosted on the server. It differs from a "personal distribution list" in your own Contacts folder in a couple of important ways.
- The Exchange Distribution list can be accessible to others through the Global Address Book
- The membership of the Exchange Distribution list will be updated automatically on a nightly basis.
- The Exchange Distribution list can be used to assign permissions to a Public Folder.
- How do I request an Exchange Distribution list?
You can request a course related Exchange Distribution List online, others can be requested by sending an email to dlist@mail.ku.edu. To request an Exchange Distribution list by email you will need to include:- What name you want assigned to the list.
- Who you want included in the list (e.g., everyone in a department, all students with major code 0000, etc.),
- Who can send to the list.
- If the list of recipients should be visible to other Outlook users.
There are restrictions on who can request certain lists. Course related distribution lists can only be requested by the instructor of record for that class. A request for a list of all staff in a department would have to be approved by the department chair. Some requests for student and staff lists have to be approved by the Registrar's Office or the Provost's Office. You will be informed if you request a list that needs additional approval.
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How do I request a change to an Exchange distribution list?
The membership of courserelated Exchange Distribution list will be updated automatically on a nightly basis. To request changes to be made to an Exchange list, send an email to the Exchange Distribution List Administrator at dlist@ku.edu with:- The name of the Exchange list.
- The names and email addresses of people you want to add or remove from the Exchange list.
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How do I use a list?
First, you must have permission to use a particular list. The majority of Exchange Distribution Lists are restricted to the members of the list, or to a few individuals (like the professor or GTAs for a course). You will receive an error message if you attempt to send to a list without having the correct permissions. If you don't know if you have permission to use a list, go view the lists you are on, After you log in, click on an individual list to see who is allowed to send to the group and if the members are visible or not. You will also see the full display name and email address of the list, and information about how often the list is updated.Outlook Users:
If you use Outlook, you can select the list from the global address book just like you would any other individual listing. All Exchange Distribution Lists appear with a "- DL" after the name to indicate that it is a distribution list. Display names for course lists will look like this: "CLAS101 (12345) Sp05 - DL". This indicates that the course name is CLAS 101, the line number is 12345, and the course is offered in Spring 2005. Non-course lists will appear with the display name requested, e.g. "CC Staff - DL".Other email programs:
If you use another email program, you will need to send messages directly to the email address assigned to the list. For the CLAS101 example the email address would be: "clas101_12345sp05_dl@mail.ku.edu". For the CC Staff list the email address is "ccstaff_dl@mail.ku.edu". More information - How do I know who is on a list?
If the owner requested that members of the list be visible, you can view their names in the global address book if you use Outlook. [Go to the global address book, enter the list name in the search field. When the list name is displayed, right-click on it and select Properties.] If the members of the list are hidden (all class members are hidden by default), then you will not be able to view members unless you own that list. If you own or are on the list, go view the lists you are on or own, After you log in, click on an individual list name to see if the members are visible or not. If the members are visible, you will see a list of all the names and email addresses on the list. More information. - Some people on the list say they are not receiving list mail. What is causing this?
The most common reasons are: the person has not registered an email address with KU; has failed to respond to the registered email signup; or has a KU email address but registered a non-KU address. More information. - What do I do if I am having problems with an Exchange Distribution List?
Send a description of the problem by email to the Exchange Distribution List Administrator at dlist@ku.edu.
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