Email at Drexel University
About Your Email Account
Electronic mail is a primary means of communication on campus. Many official university
communications are transmitted to students, faculty, and staff via email. It is an important
vehicle for communications between students and their instructors, a convenient organizational
tool for groups and departments, and a quick method for sharing ideas and information among
friends and colleagues.
Your email account is a valuable asset. It is, and should remain, private to yourself alone.
It is used to authenticate your identity in many university online services. In addition, you
are totally responsible for all activity that takes place from your account. To safeguard your
identity and your privacy, do not share your account or give your password to anyone.
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Email Etiquette
Email is both less formal than a letter and less personal than a conversation. It is difficult
to strike the right balance, but commonsense and consideration for others and simple courtesy
are always good places to start. Here are a few points to keep in mind.
- Email is not strictly private. With all the hackers and sniffers out there, you should think
of email as a post card. Would you want the mail carrier to read your message?
- Be careful how you express yourself. The recipient does not have your facial expressions,
tone of voice, and body language to aid understanding. Hence the growing vocabulary of
"emotions" to let people know when your nasty crack is really a "yolk". >:-{
- Everyone hates junk mail. Before you hit the send button, ask yourself how important your
message is to the recipients. As a rule of thumb, consider that any mail sent to more than
twenty recipients is potential "spam".
- Unsolicited mass email (spam) is contrary to the
Acceptable Use Policy.
Any message to the university community at large must be approved by an appropriate university
officer (vice president, senior vice president, president). For details on the mass mailing policy
see http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/policies/massemail.html.
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How to Get an Email Account
All active students, faculty, and staff are eligible for email accounts on the Drexel Mail server
(mail.drexel.edu).
To pick up your account, go the Computer Accounts Management Service on the web at
http://accounts.drexel.edu
and follow the prompts. If you are picking up your first account, you will be asked some personal
questions for authentication of your identity and will be required to read and affirm your
compliance with the Acceptable Use Policy.
You will then be able to "activate" your account.
At the same time, you receive your Drexel Domain (or Files) account (useful for printing in the
Korman Computing Center and for downloading site-licensed software).
Your individual email account can also be used to access the academic UNIX server
(dunx1.irt.drexel.edu).
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Picking a Password
You may change your password at http://www.drexel.edu/computeraccounts, select "Manage Your
Accounts".
For reasons of privacy and security, the password you choose should be as strong as you can make
it. The following criteria may help:
- It should have a minimum of seven (7) and a maximum of eight (8) characters;
- It should contain both alpha (minimum two) and numeric/non-alpha (minimum one) characters;
- It should NOT contain a string of characters which, read forward or backward, comprises your
name, part of your name, your initials, a nickname commonly associated with your name (e.g.,
"jim" for "james"), your birthdate, or your social security number;
- It should NOT contain a string of characters which comprises an item listed in an unabridged
dictionary, or in the "most cracked passwords" file;
- It should contain special or numeric characters, at least one of which must fall within the
string. (e.g., Aliens3 is no good but Al!ens3 is acceptable because the "!" substituted for "i"
breaks up the alphabetic string. The final "3" doesn't count because it does not interrupt the
alphabetic string.)
The password re-setter at
http://accounts.drexel.edu
is programmed to help you choose a password that conforms to these rules.
Password hacking, however, is a science growing ever more sophisticated, so more stringent
rules may be needed later. If the password you select today fails the test of tomorrow's password
cracking program, your account may be temporarily disabled. You will then need to contact the
Accounts Office (215-895-1958) to have your password re-set and your account re-activated.
Note: For added security, passwords are set to expire every nine weeks (63 days from the
date of last change).
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Official Email Address
To ensure that all important correspondence is reliably delivered to each individual, all
account holders will be assigned an Official Email Address, commonly of the form:
all.your.names@drexel.edu. This address will be used for all university email correspondence
lists, for populating lists for classes, and for the official online directory.
Click here to read the complete Official Email Address policy.
Personal Email Alias
Drexel allows active students, faculty and staff to select
a personal alias to use with email on mail.drexel.edu. You
can choose your personal e-mail alias at http://accounts.drexel.edu
There is no limit to the length of an alias. You will be able
to change the personal alias as often as you like, but only
one alias is active at a time.
Aliases which are offensive, obscene, inappropriate, or intended
to disguise your identity, may be deleted without notice. Inappropriate
aliases include, but are not limited to, those which misrepresent
your role in the Drexel community, denigrate university staff,
or are designed to encourage abuse of Drexel facilities.
Repeated attempts to use inappropriate aliases may result
in revocation of your email privilege.
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Reading Email
To read your email you may use any of a large number of email software clients. Among those
supported by IRT are Outlook 2000, Outlook Express, Eudora, and Netscape Messenger. Your choice
will be governed by such factors as what computer you have, how (or if) it is attached to the
campus network, whether you must share with a workgroup, etc. A chart of recommendations for some
of these circumstances is given at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/.
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Group Accounts
University departments and recognized campus organizations may request an email account to be
used for the organization. Application for an organizational account should be directed to the
Accounts Office (215-895-1958 or accounts@drexel.edu).
The president /head of an organization is personally responsible for the organization's account.
In addition, student group accounts must have prior approval from the Director of Student
Activities. New student organizations should contact Student Activities before calling the
Accounts Office.
Group (shared) accounts are not eligible for UNIX shell access.
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Email Quotas on mail.drexel.edu
What is an email quota?
The email quota is the amount of email (including attachments) that a user can store on the
central email server. If the assigned allocation is filled up, no new mail can be stored in the
account Inbox -- new mail is returned to sender.
Current email quotas on mail.drexel.edu
Current default quotas on mail.drexel.edu are:
- faculty/staff - 100M
- graduate students - 100M
- undergraduate students - 100M
Users who are utilizing a major portion of their default quota should take advantage of offline storage of email in personal folders. In addition, it is a good idea to download attachments to your local computer and remove them from your email inbox. Frequently, the size of attachments is the factor which puts the mailbox over quota. Requests for increases may be considered on an "as needed" basis, provided that
the usage supports the mission of the University.
The limit on the number of recipients you may address in one email message is 200.
The maximum size of any email attachment is 10M. This is a system-wide transmission limit
common to all users; it cannot be increased.
How do users know how much space they have used?
Users are notified automatically via email when their usage exceeds 90% of their storage quota.
A final notice is sent automatically when the account reaches 100% of the quota, after which no
new mail will be received in the account Inbox until the amount stored is reduced or the limit
is raised.
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Quotas on exchange1.drexel.edu
Email Quotas on the MS Exchange Email Server
Please note: Only faculty and staff members at Drexel University are permitted to request an Exchange account due to licensing restrictions.
Current default quota for all users is 100M
The limit on the number of recipients you may address in one email message is 200.
The maximum size of any email attachment is 10M. This is a system-wide transmission
limit common to all users.
How do users know how much space they have used?
Exchange Users are automatically notified when their mailbox usage reaches quota.
What happens if my mailbox is over quota?
Exchange users will be able to receive new email messages but they will not be
able to send any new messages until they have decreased their mailbox usage. Users can take advantage of personal mail folders in which to move mail off the server or may use the AutoArchive feature. In addition, it is a good idea to download attachments to your local computer and remove them from your email inbox. Frequently, the size of attachments is the factor which puts the mailbox over quota. Requests for increases may be considered on an "as needed" basis, provided that the usage supports the mission of the University.
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Continuance of Email Privileges
After Separation from the University
What happens to my account when I graduate?
There are a number of continuing services associated with your Drexel email account. Here is what
happens to them when you graduate.
- First two years: Email services, web pages, file storage
Graduating students may keep their Drexel email accounts for two years after graduation. Your
address (including your official email address and your personal alias, if you established one)
is retained for two years. Any web pages or other files you have stored in the account remain
available to you during this period via FTP.
- After first two years
Two years after graduation the account is closed. Stored files and email are deleted,
and the personal alias is turned off. Before your account is deleted, it is your responsibility
to copy any email or other files you wish to keep.
- Long-term email forwarding
Long-term email forwarding is available for your userid and your
official email address. To request long-term forwarding, send email to accounts@drexel.edu or call 215-895-2698.
- Drexel domain account
Your Drexel domain account (used for PCs in the Korman cluster)
is turned off approximately 30 days after graduation; you may
reactivate it at any
time during the two years after graduation. After two years this
account is permanently closed and may not be extended further.
- Shell access
Shell access (the ability to log directly in to dunx1 and use Unix commands) is turned off 30
days after graduation.
- Early account deletion
You may have your account closed sooner if you wish.To request early account deletion, send email to accounts@drexel.edu or call 215-895-2698.
- Notification
Graduating students are notified of this schedule via email shortly before graduation.
What happens to my account when I retire?
Faculty and staff members retiring from the university may request to keep (or reactivate) any or
all of the following services indefinitely:
- Email services via mail.drexel.edu
- Email forwarding for userid, official email address, and personal alias
- Web page and file storage on dunx1.irt.drexel.edu
- Shell access on dunx1.irt.drexel.edu
- Drexel domain account (will be turned off; may be reactivated with different parameters)
Contact the Accounts office (215-895-1958, accounts@drexel.edu)
to initiate such a request. If no request for continuance is received within 30 days after
retirement, the account will be scheduled for deletion.
Continuation of retirees' accounts service will be reviewed annually. Please confirm your
continuing need for this service once each year by sending an email to
accounts@drexel.edu during the Fall term.
What happens to my account when I resign from the university?
Individuals may leave the university to take other employment, to transfer to another college,
or simply to go on to other activities. Since such people often have no continuing relationship
with the university, their continuation email benefits are substantially reduced.
- Faculty who leave before retirement.
Faculty who leave before retirement may keep their email accounts and email forwarding for one
year from the end of the last term in which they taught. This covers also the case of adjunct
faculty members who teach one course per year, usually in the same term.
- Staff who leave before retirement.
Staff members who leave the university may keep their email accounts and forwarding for 30 days
from their date of termination, unless otherwise requested by their departments.
- Students who leave before graduation.
Students who leave the university without completion of their degree or other program may keep
their email accounts and forwarding as long as they are “eligible to register”. This
is the period, usually one year from the last term when they were registered, during which they
may return to school without formal re-admission.
- An employee who is fired or a student who is expelled.
If you are invited to leave the university ‘for cause’, your email privileges will be
terminated immediately upon receipt of notification by the IRT Accounts Office.
What happens if I have multiple relationships to the university?
Some individuals have more than one affiliation with the university. A faculty member may also be
an alumnus, a staff member may be a student, a staff member may be a part-time faculty member, etc.
A person with multiple roles will receive the account benefits that give the individual the
maximum advantage unless other considerations override that benefit.
For example:
A staff member/adjunct faculty member who resigns from the university will have the email
continuation appropriate to an adjunct faculty member (one year from end of last term taught)
rather than that for a staff member (30 days). However, if the department requests that the
account be terminated or transferred to another employee, the resigning employee might need to
open a new account to take advantage of the benefits available to an adjunct faculty member.
Similarly, if a full-time staff member/part-time student decides to quit work and return to
full-time study, the staff privileges will lapse after 30 days but active student privileges will
continue.
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Abuse of Email Privileges
Email and network connectivity are a privilege, not a right. These privileges can be revoked for
violations of the university's
Acceptable Use Policy.
Unacceptable behavior includes, but is not limited to:
- unsolicited and unauthorized mass email (spam)
- offensive language
- obscene material or language
- threats
- infringement on others' privacy
- interference with others' work
- copyright infringement
- illegal activity.
Penalties for unacceptable behavior range from de-activation of the account (for minor first
offenses) through university judicial action or referral to law enforcement authorities.
In the case of account de-activation, the offender may email the Accounts
Manager requesting that the account be reactivated. In the letter, the offender should provide
three original, detailed reasons why the abuse of the network and misuse of email are serious
matters. The letter should demonstrate an understanding of the negative ramifications that
network and email abuse have on both university computing resources and the rights of other
computer users. After submission of the letter, the offender must call the Accounts Office at
215-895-2698 to schedule an appointment to discuss the letter and arrange for reactivation of
the account.
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Forthcoming Changes
IRT is working to automate some of the processes that currently require you to telephone or
email the Accounts staff. So please check this page for changes.
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Other Policies
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Last updated 6/2/03. Authors/updaters: Rich Varenas, Beth Davis
Hazany, and Ruth Matson, IRT.
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