Change is coming.
Effective May 19, students will see their Volmail login address change from “[email protected]” to “[email protected].” The shift is part of a transition that will allow students to choose between Google and Microsoft as their email provider.
Despite this change, students will still receive messages sent to “@utk.edu” and “@tennessee.edu” email addresses. Mail sent to these accounts will be automatically forwarded to the new address system.
Joel Reeves, assistant vice chancellor and chief information officer, explained the change in usernames was necessary in order to provide students access to both Gmail and Microsoft Outlook capabilities.
“It simplifies the management of the whole infrastructure and in building the transition between the two [services],” Reeves said.
Under the new system, students will be able to access a single email thread on either web format. Regardless of which provider they choose, students will still retain their current Office 365 features from Microsoft, along with access to Google Apps. The choice between Gmail and Outlook is not a permanent one; while a student may select a default provider, he or she can switch at any time.
In addition to the email provider flexibility, students will be able to retain their new “@vols.utk.edu” email account “for life.” Current university email accounts are set to expire one year after a student leaves UT.
When crafting the transition, university administrators relied on representatives from SGA and the Technology Advisory Board in addition to a recent campus-wide survey.
Jake Baker, former SGA president, said although he was not directly involved in discussions about the email transition, he is confident in its enactment.
“I think that any time students have a choice in what they do, it’s always a benefit,” he said. “You can choose which one you prefer or which one is easier for you to use.”
Both Baker and Reeves noted the journey to allowing on-campus access to Google services was one that has taken several years, garnering much student demand along the way. As Reeves explained, the delay in implementing university-provided Google accounts was a matter of legal assurance.
“I would rather have the university be protected by having an official agreement with Google and be able to give [access] to students this way,” Reeves said.
When news of the transition to new email addresses was announced March 10, some students expressed concerns about the unexpected change.
Luke LeBeuf, junior in psychology and cinema studies, said he feels the decision to change email systems and usernames may prove to be an inconvenience.
“It’s a bit aggravating to have to acquaint myself with a third email system since I’ve been attending UT,” LeBeuf said, “on top of my personal email.”
Baker, after receiving a handful of emails from students worried about the conversion, wants ease any of students’ concerns.
“It’s not a huge change, it’s really just about logging in with a different username,” Baker said. “You’re not going to lose former contacts.”
Although the change seemed to blindside many UT students, Reeves asserted his department doesn’t take such transitions lightly and is confident in this decision.
“This change is better off for all of us in the long run.”
For more information on the switch, click here.
