MSU E-mail and Storage Expirations for Past Students
All incoming Michigan State University students are issued an MSU NetID which, upon activation, gives them access to a variety of university and IT Services-supported resources. An official MSU e-mail address is issued to students at the time of admittance to MSU. This official MSU e-mail address is the MSU NetID followed by “@msu.edu” (e.g., sparty@msu.edu) and resides in MSU’s Webmail system. New students are also issued AFS (Andrew File System) online storage. These centrally-funded resources are provided to current students, defined as those currently registered for credit at MSU or those who have been registered within the past two years.
Background
When e-mail accounts were initially provided to students in the late 1990s, very few alternatives to the central e-mail service existed, and MSU was committed to keeping student e-mail accounts available for at least two years post-graduation. Similarly, there was little access to network-based storage space when MSU began providing AFS storage to students. Now with the many free and low-cost e-mail and data storage services available, there is less of a need for MSU to provide e-mail and online storage for those who have not been students at MSU in two or more years.
Account expiration
In August of 2012, MSU began expiring e-mail and AFS accounts for past students (those who have not been registered within the past two years) in order to free up university data storage resources, maintain operational efficiencies, and maximize services for current students. Additionally, this will bring MSU closer to compliance with the practices of peer institutions, few of which offer extended access to e-mail or storage accounts. Account expirations will become part of annual maintenance going forward. Past students will still be able to use their NetIDs and passwords, which are permanently assigned, to access student records or for future enrollment.
Past students who actively use their MSU e-mail accounts should consider procuring alternate e-mail addresses within the two-year timeframe since they were last students. They can advise senders of new e-mail addresses using the Vacation Reply Message found in MSU Webmail under “MSU Prefs.” Any e-mail files they wish to save should be migrated from their MSU Webmail accounts. Any AFS files should be downloaded and saved to separate media, hard drives, or other storage devices. For more information read, Account Expiration for Former MSU Students: Mail and AFS or the Frequently Asked Questions Regarding e-mail and storage expirations for past MSU students.
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Originally published 30 May 2012
Revised 12 June 2012 in first paragraph to clarify "for credit" registration
