Last modified: Tuesday, February 5, 2008
IU email partnership FAQ
Why a partnership?
IU has partnered with Google and Microsoft to offer e-mail and related services to students that IU could not offer alone. These vendors are able to deliver new functionality quickly to provide enhanced services such as Microsoft Spaces and Google Docs/Spreadsheets.
What do these agreements cost the university?
Both partners provide the educational accounts free of charge.
Will this agreement save the university money?
Yes, UITS estimates that it can eventually reallocate approximately $500,000 per year out of the operational and capital equipment budgets to other activities. UITS spends almost $700,000 a year supporting the IU Webmail environment, but those funds support more than student e-mail.
Does any of this money come from student technology fees?
No, the student technology fee does not support e-mail.
Where will the reallocated funds be used?
Student e-mail savings are part of an ongoing process of expenditure review and reallocation. The Office of the Vice President for Information Technology regularly reviews budgets for efficiencies and changes in service. It has internally reallocated funding over the last ten years to support numerous initiatives, including Wireless, the Information Commons, IT Security, 24-Hour User Support, Classroom Technology, Software licenses, OneStart Portal, Podcasting, Improved Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, High Performance Computing and Massive Data Storage, and Data Center Infrastructure.
When will the services be available?
IU will offer the services provided by Google and Microsoft during spring semester 2008.
Will I receive important e-mail from IU at my new account?
Yes. This full-featured system ensures the delivery of legitimate mail sent by administrators and instructors through the Indiana University e-mail system.
Will I be safe from spam?
Both vendors have robust spam filtering services.
Will I see advertisements like those in public versions of these accounts?
No, enrolled students will not see advertisements. The vendors do retain the right to present advertising to alumni using the vendors' Web interfaces.
What is the account quota for each system?
Currently, Google mail provides six gigabytes of storage, and Microsoft's Exchange Labs provides five gigabytes of storage.
Will IU Webmail still be available?
Yes. Students who have existing IU Webmail accounts may continue to use those accounts instead of opting for one of these services.
Why two options?
Both vendors provide an excellent range of services. We want to offer the opportunity to choose the bundle of services that best fits your needs.
Can I get accounts on both systems?
Yes, you can create accounts with both Google and Microsoft, but you can only choose one place to forward e-mail that is sent to your campus e-mail address.
How private will my IU Gmail and Microsoft's Exchange Labs e-mail be?
The privacy policies of IU, Google and Microsoft all seek to balance individual freedom and privacy with the need for access by persons other than the account holder. At times, there are legitimate reasons for those other than the account holder to access e-mail. These incidents are rare, and the reasons usually have to do with serving or protecting core values and operations, or meeting legal requirements. In accessing or granting access to your account, Google, Microsoft and Indiana University personnel will comply with all applicable laws and policies. For information on when a user's stored data may be accessed and by whom, and what permissions are needed, see Indiana University's policy on "Privacy of Electronic Information and Information Technology Resources" at https://informationpolicy.iu.edu/policies/IT07.shtml
For details on Google and Microsoft privacy policies, see:
- Google Privacy & Security page: https://mail.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=1560
- Microsoft Online Privacy Notice Highlights: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
- Microsoft Online Privacy Statement: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/fullnotice.aspx
Does this change IU's policy on reading official university e-mail?
No. You are still required to establish an account and read e-mail from IU faculty and administration. Your choice of preferred e-mail address indicates where you want to receive official university communications.
Who can use the enhanced mail choices?
Only enrolled undergraduate and graduate students, and alumni are eligible for accounts on the new systems. Faculty and staff will continue to use existing e-mail systems.
Will my e-mail address and username stay the same?
Yes, your username will stay the same. and you will continue to receive e-mail sent to your campus e-mail address. E-mail may also be sent directly to your Gmail and/or your Microsoft Exchange Labs account.
How will I get help?
Continue to look to the UITS Support Center as a first line of support for all IU e-mail systems, including the new systems.
How will I get an account?
As before, you will be able to open and manage all e-mail accounts through the IU Account Management Service at https://itaccounts.iu.edu.
If I already have an account with Google or Microsoft, will it be affected?
No. Those accounts will remain separate from any accounts you generate at IU.
Will I be able to keep this account after I leave IU?
Yes, if you are part of the new system you will have the option of keeping these accounts after graduation.
Can I still receive e-mail at my campus e-mail address after I graduate?
Yes. As long as you are using one of these IU mail services, IU will continue to deliver e-mail sent to your campus address such as student1@iupui.edu, student2@indiana.edu or student3@iusb.edu.
Can I get an account if I have already graduated?
Yes. The IUAA and Microsoft have partnered since 2006 to provide IU alumni with free e-networking services including e-mail, instant messaging, blogs and classifieds. To use these services for the first time, visit IU Alumni Account Services (https://launchpad.alumni.iu.edu/) to set up your account. Once you've established your account, you can go directly to the service you want by clicking on its name in the list below. IU does not provide a method to "reclaim" your generic campus e-mail identity, but the alumni service still provides a permanent connection with Indiana University for your e-mail.
What do I need to do to continue my e-mail account after graduation?
You do not need to do anything special. Your e-mail account will stay active. IU will indicate to the vendor when you are no longer a student, and the only difference is that you will now see the advertisements when you use their Web interface.
May I choose to discontinue using a service?
Yes, you may choose to discontinue using an account at any time. If you are an IU student, you must establish your preferred e-mail to a location where you will regularly check e-mail.
