How do I request access to Slate, Litmus, and/or Basecamp?
You can learn how to request access to all of our tools, including Slate, Litmus, and Basecamp, on our new member page. Please note that privileges vary.
Why do I have to use Slate?
We use Slate for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a centralized platform for tracking and managing student data; we can create and store email, visit, website portal, and form information all in one place. Protecting student data is a priority when working with prospective and admitted students. In addition, we can maintain a history of all of our emails, events, and forms. For more details and help regarding Slate, check out our training overview.
Do my events need to be in Slate?
Yes, if your events are for prospective or admitted/accepted students before the May 1 accept deadline, your events need to be in Slate. This ensure that we’re able to collect and store student information in one place. To learn more about how to enter events into Slate, review our Slate event training.
Does my form need to be in Slate?
It depends. Check out our forms policy to see which scenario pertains to you.
Can OUA-Contact send my email?
Again, this depends on a variety of factors, including audience, timing, and more. For further information, review our email policy.
How do I design an email?
All designed emails sent by the OUA-Contact team are created in Litmus using one of the three standardized templates our designers have created and possibly some of the premade blocks in the builder function itself. For more details and help on how to design emails in Litmus, check out our Litmus training. For exceptions, review our Alternative Access Plan.
Why do I have to use Litmus?
When we’re sending out content on behalf of the university, it’s important to have a single, cohesive brand that will be continuously recognizable to the recipient, regardless of which unit on campus is sending a communication. By using Litmus to create emails, we ensure that everyone is using standardized templates and including similar essential information. Plus, the interface is very intuitive and user-friendly, which makes it the ideal place to make and store our emails. For more details and help regarding Litmus, check out our Litmus training. For exceptions, review our Alternative Access Plan.
What do I need to include in an email?
All emails are subject to change based on the goal of the content, but there are some baseline important factors to make sure you’re including. To review these factors, check out our email policy.
How do I add images in Litmus?
To add an image to your email, you must first make sure your image is publicly hosted. For step-by-step instructions on how to store your images, check out the “add your images” section of our litmus training guide.
Why aren’t my links working in Litmus?
Make sure to hit “save” after you make edits, as autosave won’t always show your new edits to other viewers. Also be sure to double check that you’ve updated links in the header, feature image, your body text, buttons, and in the footer (including social media and email addresses).
When you copy your code from Litmus to Slate, save your work one more time, then either click the links or hover over them with your mouse to ensure they copied correctly.
What audience information do you need to send a communication?
First, review our audience policy to make sure you’re able to communicate with your intended audience. It’s also important to be as specific as possible when defining the audience you’d like to send your communication to. Be sure to specify student status (inquiry/admit/accept), student type (first-year/transfer), entry term (fall/spring), and entry year (2024/2025/2026/2027). More details can be found on our how to submit a Basecamp request page.
Why wasn’t my communication sent?
There are a number of reasons why an email may not have been sent, and most likely someone has let you know why on your Basecamp ticket. Common issues include not assigning to OUA-Contact correctly, not providing a clear audience, not allowing enough turnaround time, or not responding to questions and/or edit requests in Basecamp in time. Learn more on our Basecamp request process and email policy pages.
Will my data request be fulfilled?
This depends on the context and size of your request. Our team will review, prioritize, and schedule each request based on the workload and resources available at the time of the request. To confirm that your data request meets all of the requirements, please review our data request policy.