New e-mail proposal drafted
Plan is to use account for all university business

By Carrie Woodall
Staff Reporter

Although most university offices use campus e-mail accounts to communicate with students, Mike Russel, associate dean of Campus Life, is drafting a proposal which would make it an official method of communication for university business. “A general hesitancy of sending something via e-mail and not knowing if a student will receive the information, caused the need for e-mail to be an official communication tool,” he said.Mike Scott, director of scholarships and student financial aid, said e-mail isn’t reliable now because its use is not consistent around the university.

“Right now some offices and professors do communicate by e-mail, and some don’t,” he said. “It is confusing as to whether everyone is going to read the e-mail you send.”

If the proposal is approved, students will need to check their e-mail like they check their mailboxes.

Russel said he realizes some students don’t check their student account regularly because much of the mail sent isn’t important to them.

“I know some students complain about what colleges send,” he said. “Part of the university’s commitment to students, faculty and staff is that we will try to make sure any e-mail sent is reasonably targeted to the person.”

Lauren Kane, a sophomore marketing major, said having all of her university business sent by e-mail would be more convenient.

“I like the idea of having e-mail as major method of communication,” she said. “It is a lot easier to sit in your room and check e-mail than it is to take time to walk to your mailbox.”

Bill Senter, manager of technical services, said as of fall 2000, about 74 percent of the student body has used their student account at least once and nearly 57 percent have used their student account more than once or on a regular basis.

“We would like to see students preferring their TCU account over their other (e-mail) accounts,” he said. “The university provides each student with 50 (megabytes) of space which is more than a lot of other e-mail providers.”

The university updated it’s e-mail system in August 2000, switching from a Telnet server to the Web-based Microsoft Exchange server, Senter said.

“When we were using Telnet, students could only check their e-mail from computers with that system,” he said. “The new server allows them to check there TCU account from any computer with Internet access. We surveyed students, and they said they wanted more access, but they wanted a familiar program. We found that in Microsoft Exchange.”

Students who prefer their personal account to their university account can forward all information to the address they desire.

Russel said he believes students should at least forward university e-mails so they can be aware of academic information concerning them.

“I think (forwarding) is the perfect solution if students want to continue to use something like their Hotmail account,” he said.
Tammy Ibach, a junior social work and religion major, said she reads all her university information by forwarding her student account to her Hotmail account.

“I like my Hotmail account better because I am familiar with it,” she said. “I also don’t want to have to check two different e-mail lists, so it’s easier to forward everything.”

According to technical services, approximately 544 out of the 7,767 students forward their student e-mail account to another address.

Russel said the proposal for official e-mail communication will be completed and reviewed by the Chancellor’s Cabinet next month.

Carrie Woodall
c.d.woodall@student.tcu.edu