Guidelines

The deadline for submissions is noon one business day before publication with no exceptions. For a Monday post, the deadline is noon on Friday.

• Please note the date(s) you would like the message included in Mount Messenger in the "Date to include in Mount Messenger" field(s).
• Announcements will not be repeated more than twice per semester—one initial post and one reminder (the day before the event, a deadline, etc.).
• If the event has dates spanning multiple months, you may post about the series twice per month. For example, if there is a weekly yoga class, it will not be included twice every week. However, it can post twice per month about upcoming dates.

• Please submit each item as a separate submission through the Mount Messenger submission form.
• Please make the subject line the announcement name. Do not make the subject line "Mount Messenger" or "Announcement."
• All submissions must be made from an @email.msmary.edu or @msmary.edu email address. Submissions from any other provider will not be published.
• If you are submitting on someone else’s behalf, such as a student, you must submit in writing that they consent to their post being used in our newsletter and website (via an email, uploaded note, etc.).
• If you have an event and also need to reserve a location please submit that request through the Event Services Request Form.

Public Safety will continue to communicate emergency messages.

Time sensitive messages are permitted to be sent by the Office of the President, Office of Campus Environment / Department of Public Safety, Dining Services and the Office of University Marketing & Communications.

Stand alone messages are permitted to be sent by vice presidents and cabinet members.

• Length: Make it short: 200 words maximum.
• Message Content: Please include the name, date, time, brief description and who to contact with questions. Dates should NOT include “th” or “nd” – Ex. Dec. 24, 2025, NOT Dec. 24th.
• Links: You are encouraged to include links to other information.
• Photos: Photos are permitted. Please see the photo submission guidelines below for more information.
• Give Context: Be sure to include the class year and major of students and alumni (such as Jane Doe, C’20, biology). If you are faculty or staff, please include your accurate title (such as Mary Doe, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry).
• Accuracy: Please make sure each post is accurate and truthful. Do not purposefully misrepresent yourself or others.

• Please do not submit attachments, graphics or QR codes.
• In accordance with university policies, we won't solicit, endorse political candidates, or post copyrighted material.

The Office of University Marketing & Communications reserves the right to edit any submissions to conform with AP Style and university guidelines.

• Dimensions (Width): Announcement photos should be 400 to 600 pixels wide. Don't worry about adjusting the height, the aspect ratio will scale automatically in Mount Messenger.
• File Size: Aim for under 200 KB per image. Files larger than 1 MB are not permitted to be uploaded. These can cause emails to be flagged as spam or fail to load for users on mobile data.
• File Format: .jpg (for photos) or .png (for graphics/logos).

On a PC (Using Photos App)

1. Open the image in the Photos app.
2. Click the three dots (...) at the top and select Resize image.
3. Choose Define custom dimensions.
4. Set the Width to 600px (ensure "Maintain aspect ratio" is checked).
5. Adjust the Quality slider until the file size is within the MB range (under 200KB).

On a Mac (Using Preview)

1. Open the image in Preview.
2. Go to Tools > Adjust Size...
3. Set the Width to 600 pixels and Resolution to 72 pixels/inch.
4. Ensure "Resample image" is checked.
5. Save the file; Preview will show you the resulting file size at the bottom of the window.

File Naming

• Be sure to name your file with all lower case letters or numbers and without spaces.
• Name your file something descriptive, such as `students-at-family-fest.jpg` and not `IMG 003498.jpg`.

Before uploading any photo, ensure you have the right to publish it.

• Owned Content: Photos taken by university staff, students or faculty for official use are preferred.
• Stock Photos: Only use images from approved sources (e.g., Unsplash, Pexels, or our internal library).
• Fair Use: Just because an image is on Google does not mean it is "Fair Use." Avoid using copyrighted characters, logos of other brands, or professional photography from news outlets without express written permission.

1. You may submit your photo with your message through the Mount Messenger submission form.
2. Select the "choose file" option at the bottom of the form. (file chooser pending)
3. Upload your .jpg or .png file, formatted based on the photo submission guidelines.

To make sure information reaches everyone on campus—including students who use screen readers or those who need to translate text into other languages—we need to make sure the text isn't "locked" inside the image.

• It's hard to read: When people view images on their phones, the text can become small or blurry, making it difficult for many users to see clearly.
• It's not "searchable": Students can’t use "Find" (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) to search for dates or names if they are part of a picture.
• It's an Accessibility Standard: Our university follows specific digital guidelines (WCAG 2.1) to ensure our content is usable by everyone. These rules state that we should use actual text on the page whenever possible instead of pictures of text. Read more about WCAG standard 1.4.5: images of text and WCAG standard 1.1.1 : non-text content.

Please submit the plain text (the wording from the flyer) to the Mount Messenger submission form and the Mount Messenger team can include it in a future edition. This makes the information "live," accessible, and much easier for our students to find via Google. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us at mountmessenger@msmary.edu.

Yes, as a faculty member you are still able to email the faculty.

Yes, as a faculty member you are still able to email all students in your department.

Yes! Please include links to webpages, articles, events or registration forms.

In certain cases, content may be added to the Mount's website, msmary.edu. Please contact Web Services to learn more. You may also link to SharePoint or MyMount depending on the content.

If you have additional content for your event, the best place to locate that information is on the Mount Calendar. If you don't have access to add events to the calendar, please contact Web Services to request an onboarding.

To make sure information reaches everyone on campus—including students who use screen readers or those who need to translate text into other languages—we need to make sure the text isn't "locked" inside the image. Please see the above FAQ on why we avoid "text-in-images."

In some cases, flyers with minimal text are permitted. However, in many cases, flyers are designed with extensive text. These are not accessible to those using assistive technology, such as a screen reader, to access the website.

In order to make this content accessible, it's recommended that a photo or graphic be used as a design element and the text added directly to the webpage. Below is an example of what to avoid and what to do:

QR codes are best used for physical items, such as flyers or posters. Instead of a QR code, please include a link.

If you are hosting an event and want to provide a virtual meeting option you are welcome to include links to Teams or Zoom. We will include the link in the Mount Messenger email but we will not publish on the website for security reasons.

If you want to change something in your submission, please resubmit through the Mount Messenger submission form and select the "This is a corrected submission" option, noting your correction in the additional information text box.

Messages submitted to the mountmessenger@msmary.edu email address will not be published. Only those submissions through the submission form will be reviewed.

If you sent your submission through the submission form and it's not listed it could be because your message was already included the maximum number of times or it contains information that's not permitted based on the guidelines. If you believe that this isn't the case, please email mountmessenger@msmary.edu.

Please contact mountmessenger@msmary.edu for any questions or concerns.