University begins switch to Google-powered Umail

Last week, University Information Technology Services began the migration of all undergraduate student e-mail accounts from the old Webmail system to Google-powered Umail.

Most accounts that do not currently have the Umail or Imail systems will automatically make the switch.

UITS said on its Web site that it is making this change for functionality and increased storage space, as well as to allow for all e-mail addresses to be integrated with IU’s single sign-on in OneStart and Oncourse. After the switch, students’ IU usernames and e-mail addresses will not change, but their reply-to addresses will have the “Umail” tag added on to the address.

“We are currently at the end of the life cycle of the equipment for the current Webmail system,” Charles Rondot, the manager for University communications for UITS, said.
“We decided to make the switch now because feedback has told us that Webmail is clunky and doesn’t do everything students need.”

Rondot said that the switch should be complete by the end of the semester. He also said that it is going to be a mandatory and automatic switch because UITS has given students since spring of 2008 to make the switch voluntarily.

“The current system would not have been able to handle the amount of e-mail addresses we have now, as this new system will allow students to keep their IU e-mail address upon graduation,” he said.

Many students have already made the switch from Webmail to Umail.

Sophomore Deirdre Tromp is happy with her new e-mail system.

“I like it better than Webmail because it has a chat feature that makes it easier to get in touch with project group members,” she said. “I also always had problems signing into Webmail, and I don’t have those problems with Umail.”

Others feel that the sudden switch is ill-planned and that UITS should have never allowed the choice to use Webmail. Senior Maxx Rapaport has been using the Webmail system since his freshman year and feels that switching now would be more detrimental.

“To be honest, if it’s mandatory now, they shouldn’t have given us the choice in the beginning,” he said. “I’ve been using Webmail for four years, and to cut someone off in the middle of the year isn’t helpful. If they wanted a universal system, they should have just done it from the beginning.”