Just give me the straight goods

Joel's e-mail address is joel at math dot toronto dot edu (or joel at math dot utoronto dot ca). Replace the "at" with "@" and the "dot"s with "." and you're all set. Please do not send an e-mail message to me using both addresses in the same header; choose one or the other. Otherwise, since the IP address for both domains are identical, you will end up sending me two copies of the same message. If you didn't understand that last sentence, don't worry about it; just trust me and listen to what I say, okay?

Before you use your mail client to send Joel a message, please observe the following rules of netiquette that must be observed for all students.

HTML and MIME attachments

• Messages must be sent in plain ASCII text. Do not use HTML attachments or send messages in HTML, as many members of this university do not use a Web browser to read their electronic mail. If you send your message with HTML, my spam detectors may classify your e-mail as spam and I may never get to read your message!
• Binary attachments may only be sent with my prior approval; otherwise I will not open the attachment, and furthermore I will probably ignore and delete the entire message if the spam detector has not automatically deleted your message first.
• E-mail messages with attachments containing certain international text encodings will be automatically deleted.
• E-mail messages must originate from computers with the correct date and time.

While my rules may seem a bit draconic, I do get a lot of e-mail. By following the guidelines, it will help me process your e-mail properly and allow me to respond in a timely fashion.

Other important e-mail guidelines for students

• Please put the course number (e.g. MAT 137Y) in your subject line or in your message; I am involved in several math courses!
• Your full name must be included somewhere in the message or in the header.
• As general policy, I do not answer questions about problem sets or homework. If you have a question, you can get assistance at the Math Aid Centre or you may arrange an appointment to see me in person.
• MAT 137Y students: I am not allowed to disclose e-mail addresses of the instructors and the teaching assistants. It is up to them to decide whether they wish to reveal their addresses, so you must ask them in person.
• While I consider electronic mail to be informal correspondence, please take a minute or so to check for grammar and spelling errors. If you do not take the time to send a clear and well-articulated question, why should I do the same for my response?