DSC Opposes ‘Unfortunate’ Email Move
by Advocate Staff
From the DSC: “The Doctoral Students’ Council strongly objects to the imminent outsourcing of all student email to Microsoft’s Windows Live service (a.k.a. Hotmail). We are particularly concerned by the failure of CUNY Central Office to seek student input prior to this decision to move student email to an off-campus Microsoft controlled system. Because Windows Live is separate from the email system that will continue to be used by faculty and staff, this move will worsen the communicative divide that currently exists. Additionally, the move will punish students who choose not to use the Windows operating system and the Internet Explorer Browser by withholding features and services. Finally, while email forwarding was promised to students last spring, our understanding is that Central Office is choosing to deny students this service. If moving to Windows Live means no email forwarding, unequal access for Mac and Linux users, and the division of students into a separate email system from faculty and staff, then why has Windows Live been chosen? If the rationale is to provide a better email service, then transferring student email from the current Microsoft system (Microsoft Exchange) to another Microsoft system (Microsoft’s Windows Live) is not an acceptable solution.
“The outsourcing of student email accounts to Microsoft is a step in the WRONG direction and we encourage all students, faculty and staff to visit our web site (http://www.cunydsc.org) to learn more about this unfortunate decision.”
