Even though few students have unsubscribed to information from the Communications Center digest, that doesn't mean everyone is reading the e-mails.
About one-third of the students have unsubscribed to at least one subject, but students say they don't even read the digest, let alone personalize their subscription.
When the Comm Center Web site launched March 16, digest e-mails were sent to more than 30,000 people, 19,337 of whom were students, according to University Computing Services.
More than 7,400 people have managed their subscriptions, according to the same group.
Gail Werner, news center editor of university marketing and communications, said she expected a higher number of subscriptions.
"It's about one-third of the student body," Werner said. "I think it's a good sign, because that means that not too many people are turned off from the site and unsubscribing to things."
Students offer a different explanation to why so few have managed their accounts: they want to see a more engaging title in the subject bar of their inboxes.
Senior Alex Umberger said he only wants to read e-mails that are really important to him.
"When I open my e-mail, I just see 'Digest,' and I'm turned off," Umberger said. "If it had something to grab your attention, I might read it."
Graduate student Rehab Morsi said e-mail is still a major source of information, but she usually just reads e-mails that are pertinent to her department.
"The title should be very attractive so that I don't delete it," Morsi said.
Freshman Chelsea Edwards said getting information from groups at the Scramble Light might be just as effective as the digest mass e-mail.
"I mainly get information from word of mouth," Edwards said. "Stand at the Scramble Light for a day, and you can get a lot of information about what's going on."
Campus Bulletin Board: For Sale/Lease is one of the most popular categories, with 13,938 subscribers, but students say "for sale" and "sub-leaser needed" are phrases they don't like to see in their inboxes.
Freshman Kylie More was frustrated when her inbox rejected e-mails from her teachers because she had received so many campus bulletin messages.
Werner said that next year, the Comm Center might create a separate category for "home and lease," which is now part of the "campus bulletin board" section. She also said there has been some difficulty with people trying to advertise through the Web site.
"Posts are to be of individual nature, not commercial," Werner said. "For example, you can say, 'I have a laptop for sale,' but you can't say, 'I refurbish computers.'"
To manage their accounts, students should visit the Comm Center Web site at bsu.edu/commcenter. From there, they may click "Manage My Subscription," a tab on the right side of the page, Werner said
Students can voice their opinion of the Web site by clicking the "Feedback" section on the Comm Center homepage, she said.
"We're going to consider student feedback and evaluate everything over the summer," Werner said.
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