.edu Policy Comment Forum

As specified in the .edu Cooperative Agreement between EDUCAUSE and the U.S. Department of Commerce, the .edu Policy Board reviews domain policies and recommends changes as needed to the Department of Commerce for approval. The policy board reflects the broad range of U.S. higher education institutions. Its members consist of the president of the American Council on Education (ACE), the president of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), and the president of EDUCAUSE. The EDUCAUSE senior advisor for policy and government relations staffs the policy board and supports its deliberations.

The public can submit suggested policy changes for the .edu Policy Board to consider as well as comment on proposed changes currently under review. (To submit a proposed change or comment on one, please contact us.) All suggested policy changes and related public comments must adhere to the acceptable use policy located at the bottom of this page.

Please see the "Current Suggestions" section below for proposed changes that the policy board has under review as well as public comments about those suggestions that have already been submitted. The deadline for submitting comments on a given suggestion is also identified. The comment period for a proposed policy change will generally run for 45 days from the date on which EDUCAUSE posts it to the comment forum. Decisions the board has made about a proposal for which public comments were requested are posted under the "Recent Decisions" section below.

Recent Decisions

  • There are no recent policy board decisions to highlight at this time.

Acceptable Use Policy for EDUCAUSE's .edu Policy Comment Forum

The .edu Policy Comment Forum is designed to allow members of the .edu community to communicate with the .edu Policy Board and the EDUCAUSE staff that administers the domain. Topics for the forum can include any policy or operational issues related to the management of the .edu top-level domain. Accordingly, this acceptable use policy is intended to foster an online environment in which members of the .edu community feel comfortable sharing their views, comments, ideas, insights, and criticisms.

The Basic Rule

Users of the .edu Policy Comment Forum are invited to submit messages expressing their views, comments, ideas, insights, and criticisms relating to the subject of the forum, i.e., the .edu top-level domain. Users should show courtesy and respect to others in submitting messages to share with the .edu community. EDUCAUSE will not post comments to the forum that are abusive, inappropriate, or unrelated to .edu policies, procedures, or operations.

Unacceptable Use

Following is a non-exclusive summary of conduct that is considered unacceptable use of the .edu Policy Comment Forum:

  • False headers, addresses, or identities
  • Personal attacks, threats, slurs, or ad hominem abusive language
  • Commercial solicitations
  • More than four posts on a single suggestion in a single 24-hour period

Consequences of Unacceptable Use

EDUCAUSE reserves the right to enforce this policy when EDUCAUSE, at its discretion, concludes that an individual or entity has engaged in abusive conduct in connection with the .edu Policy Comment Forum. In such cases, EDUCAUSE will decline to post the relevant comment or comments to the forum. EDUCAUSE may also remove a posted comment or comments from the forum if it determines that it inadvertently posted abusive or otherwise inappropriate text.