Students React to Live@Edu
March 4, 2010 • By Jessica Albert,
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Some Like the New System, Others Find it Difficult to Navigate, Forward
HARRISONBURG, Va. — After much anticipation, JMU students are finally using the Live@edu e-mail system.
Students received an e-mail about how to setup their new accounts Feb. 25. The new system has replaced the former Webmail service, which had been in place since May 2003. As of Tuesday afternoon, about 7,200 students have made the switch to Live@edu.
The new system changes students’ e-mail usernames to “e-ID@dukes.jmu.edu.” Some students were upset the change was made mid-semester and some have yet to adjust to the new system.
“It is a little weird actually,” freshman Hannah Munson said. “When you tell people your e-mail now, you have to say the dukes.jmu.edu.”
According to Dave Hulvey, assistant vice president for Information Technology, the e-mail switch may seem inconvenient to students, but he thinks the change is warranted.
“Students use their e-mail accounts all throughout the year, so there is really never a good time for change,” Hulvey said. “Making the switch midyear allows us to better support students since we’re here and the resources are available.”
He explained that IT had heard complaints about the Webmail system, so staff evaluated other university’s systems. Students were the last to convert to Live@edu after IT began trials with some faculty groups last fall.
“We felt that Microsoft’s Live@edu system offered us the best long-term solution as our university provided student e-mail and a collaboration environment,” Hulvey said.
Before the change, some users were worried about whether or not they would be able to forward to other systems, such as Gmail. This change can be made by choosing “Options” and then “Forward your mail using Inbox rules.”
Some students are finding problems with forwarding though, including senior Cody Harrison.
“I don’t like that it doesn’t forward to Gmail anymore, which I set up filters and everything for now they don’t work,” Harrison said.
Munson uses Hotmail for her personal e-mail account and says the new JMU e-mail account interferes with her usual Hotmail login procedures.
“Every time I want to sign into that, it messes up my JMU one, and I have to retype that out every time I want to get on that one,” Munson said.
One of the primary objectives of the e-mail system is to provide more storage space. Students will now receive 10 GB of inbox storage and 25 GB for file storage.
The new system has several new features including a universal address book, an instant messaging function and mobile access.
Freshman Bryce Kiser likes the Live@edu system for its more modern, brighter look as compared to Webmail.
“It has a more graphical user interface,” Kiser said. “It is a lot nicer. It shows you your message when it comes up. You don’t have to click. I think it is just a lot more user friendly.”
Hulvey said an added benefit of the Live@edu account is that students will be able to keep their usernames after they graduate, but not all students agree.
Harrison is not a fan of the new system and feels that the switch was at an awkward time, especially for seniors, and not very well advertised.
“It’s just inconvenient and I’m a second semester senior I shouldn’t use it,” Harrison said.
“I really like that you’re going to get to keep it for a lifetime,” Kiser said. “This is the e-mail I give out for work and everything. It will be nice that I won’t have to change it.”
Hulvey thinks that the everlasting feature of the Live@edu accounts is going to benefit students in the long run.
“Making the switch now gives the graduating students an opportunity to use the system before they leave JMU,” Hulvey said.
But senior Amanda Lorusso said she’s already given out her @jmu.edu e-mail address to potential employers.
“Now they have incorrect information and I might be getting potential jobs and they will not know how to contact me via e-mail,” Lorusso said.
The Webmail system will be used until March 17. E-mails will be sent to both accounts until that date, but all students must set up their new e-mail accounts by then. After that, e-mails will only be sent to the Live@edu accounts, whether or not the student has set up their new e-mail.
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3 Responses to “Students React to Live@Edu”
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Best of the 'Burg Supplement
April 29, 2010 Issue in Print
Couldn’t be any worse than Mulberry!
The old webmail was a complete joke and circa 1999, This is MUCH better and anyone that does not see that is a troglodyte.
I think that the JMU IT department got “sold” on the service by Microsoft. It’s completely uncustomary to have to say “dukes.jmu.edu” when giving out one’s email address. Having a subdomain always confuses people.
Seeing as we are the customers, I feel that the students should have had a much bigger say in where the email system went. I bet that the vast majority of students use Gmail. Did JMU even look at Google’s email appliance and system? Clemson, Arizona State, UNC, and many others use Google - slashing costs and being much more relevant to students.
Instead of working toward a converged communication system, I feel that JMU just took a step way out in left field. Microsoft *might* be more “proven” but I also feel comfortable in saying that they are also “behind the times.” I feel this is a waste of my tuition money and a step in the wrong direction.
Peter Denbigh