March 11, 2021

Dear Academic and Administrative Leadership,

University Records Management has partnered with Information Services to develop an automated retention process for most chat messages sent over Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype for Business. We would like to share key details with you regarding the project and its implementation: 

• On June 30, 2021, the process will go live for all students, faculty, and staff. All affected chat messages that are 180 days or older (sent before January 1, 2021) will automatically be deleted. 
• Going forward, all affected chats will be deleted after 180 days. 
• To see which chats are affected on these services, visit the chat retention webpage. 
• This process was created to assist employees with managing their records, to reduce operational costs for the institution, and to help protect the privacy of students and employees in case personal and other sensitive information is shared over the services. 
• Although the university’s Records Management Policy does not apply to students, they will be included in this process to ensure a consistent experience for all users, help students manage digital clutter, and protect student privacy. 

This change has already been piloted by a small number of university staff. On March 16, auto-retention will be implemented for a pilot group of IT professionals across the university. This will allow them to familiarize themselves with the changes and answer questions when auto-retention is implemented for all of the university. 

For more information about the chat auto-retention project, visit the chat retention webpage. If you or others in your units have questions, please email records@uoregon.edu. 

Sincerely, 

University Records Management & Information Services