From:
Sangeeta Bishop <Sangeeta.Bishop@cuny.edu>
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 12:52 PM
To: Sangeeta Bishop <Sangeeta.Bishop@cuny.edu>
Subject: FW: Brightspace Email Tool Configuration – Change in Messaging Permissions
Dear Chairs,
Please see message below about a change in the email feature in Brightspace. Please share with your faculty.
Best,
Sangeeta
_________
Sangeeta K Bishop, Ph.D.
Interim University Dean for Faculty Affairs
City University of New York (CUNY)
205 E. 42nd Street, 9th floor
New York, NY 10017
646-664-8068
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From: Leizel Vergara <Leizel.Vergara@cuny.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 7, 2025 4:49 PM
To: LMS-Admin <LMS-ADMIN@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Cc: CO-LMStransition <LMStransition@cuny.edu>
Subject: Brightspace Email Tool Configuration – Change in Messaging Permissions
Dear LMS Admins,
We are writing to inform you of a change in the Brightspace Email tool configuration.
Background and Rationale
The Office of Academic Affairs recently reviewed messaging permissions in our LMS following an incident where a student sent an unsolicited mass email to the broader university community. While the message was course-related, this ability to message users beyond
course rosters raised concerns about platform misuse, data privacy, and operational consistency.
Currently, Brightspace's default configuration allows all users to contact individuals outside their enrolled courses through the email tool feature.
This functionality presents risks related to spam, miscommunication, and unintended exposure of email addresses.
Approved Change
CUNY leadership has approved a system-wide configuration change to restrict the email tool feature
for all Brightspace roles, including students, faculty, staff, and teaching assistants. Users will retain messaging functionality within their course (via the Classlist), preserving necessary academic communication channels.
This change supports our institutional goals of minimizing unsolicited messaging risks, enhancing privacy and FERPA compliance, and standardizing messaging protocols
across all campuses.
Implementation and Impact
This change will be implemented centrally without requiring additional tools or integrations. Please note that colleges that have hidden the Classlist tool should be aware that this may inadvertently disable student messaging.
To reverse this, instructors can customize their NavBar to make the Classlist visible again. The Office of Academic Affairs will coordinate with CIS to update all
documentation and support materials accordingly.
This change will be implemented on Friday, April 11th.
Reference: 
Background
Document on this decision.
Sincerely,
LMS Transition Project Team
Best,
Leizel
--
Leizel Vergara-Spagnola, PMP
Director of Academic Technology Operations, Office of Academic Affairs
For Updates on the LMS Transition to Brightspace, visit: cuny.edu/lmstransition