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Accounts & Email

Abuse and Suspension

Email and network access are privileges, not a right, and may be revoked for violations of the University's Acceptable Use practices or other policies. 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 could include de-activation of the account through university judicial action (for minor first offenses) or referral to law enforcement authorities.

Personal Alias

Drexel University allows all active account holders to create a personal alias to use as an email address on the drexel.edu domain.

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.

Reactivation

To reactivate an account, the offender must email the Accounts Manager (accounts@drexel.edu) and provide detailed reasons why misusing the network and email are serious matters and how it has negative ramifications on university computing resources and the rights of other computer users. A follow up appointment must then be scheduled with the Accounts Office (215.895.2020) to discuss the letter and arrange for reactivation of the account.

Passwords

Best Practices

You may not, under any circumstance, tell anyone your password. This includes friends, co-workers, and even IT staff. Letting someone else access your account puts you at great risk; they could drop your classes or change your benefits and there is no way to prove that it wasn't you.

You should change your password at least two times a year.

Creating a Password

To protect your privacy and security, you should pick a password that cannot be easily guessed. Follow these criteria:

  • It must be between 10 and 32 characters in length.
  • It must contain characters from at least three of these four sets: Lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers, and other characters
  • It should NOT contain your name, part of your name, initials, or nickname; birth date; or social security number.
  • it should NOT follow a pattern such as ABC123.
  • The password re-setter at the Computer Accounts Management Service (CAMS) is programmed to help you choose a password that conforms to these rules.

Password requirements are subject to change at any time. If your account is hacked or otherwise compromised, it may be temporarily disabled; contact the Accounts Office (accounts@drexel.edu, 215-895-2020) to have it reactivated.

Changing/Resetting Your Password

You may change your password at any time using the Computer Accounts Management Service (CAMS). For more information or to learn how to reset a lost password, visit Accounts Management.

Drexel Official Email

All faculty, professional staff, and students are provided with a Drexel Official Email address that ends with @drexel.edu and is usually of the form all.my.names@drexel.edu. This is the email address that is officially associated with a member of the University. This address generally remains the same throughout one's association with the University.

The Drexel Official Email address will appear in the University's Administrative System and the University's online directory.

This is your Official Email address, and it's what the University will use to send you official communications and announcements. It's also what professors will use to set up mailing lists for the classes students take. You may also create a unique custom email address ("Personal Alias") which points to your Drexel mailbox by emailing accounts@drexel.edu.

Email Quota

An email quota is the amount of email (including attachments) that a user can store on the central email server.

Emails are kept on the server until deleted or moved offline. Users are automatically notified when their usage reaches 90% of the quota limit. A final notice is sent when 100% of their storage allotment has been used. Exchange users who have reached full capacity can receive new messages but cannot send any new ones; Webmail users can still send messages but new emails cannot be received and are returned to sender.

To reduce server storage usage and restore the ability to send/receive emails, move messages offline (especially those with large attachments) into personal folders on your computer or delete old messages that do not need to be saved. Users should be aware that file attachments are often the reason why mailbox quotas are exceeded.

Requests for increased storage capacity may be granted provided that the usage supports the mission of the University and should be directed to accounts@drexel.edu. Please include the type of account that you are using (Basic Email, Exchange, etc.) and an explanation as to why more storage space is needed.

Quota limits and other restrictions vary based on the type of account being used.

Group Email Accounts

University departments and recognized campus organizations may request an email account to be used on behalf their organization by contacting the Accounts Office (215.895.2020, accounts@drexel.edu).

The president/head of the organization is personally responsible for the account's usage. All student groups must have approval from the Director of Student Activities prior to requesting an account from the Accounts Office.

Leaving Drexel

After leaving Drexel University, all students, faculty, and professional staff must eventually relinquish most or all of their accounts and email access. Continuance of privileges varies depending on affiliation status and reason for leaving; policies are listed below.

Graduation

  • Email

    Graduated students may keep their Drexel Office 365 email mailbox. Soon after graduation, you’ll get additional email addresses ending with @dragons.drexel.edu – these should be the addresses that you use. The old @drexel.edu addresses will be removed one year after graduation.
  • Microsoft Office 365 Apps

    Although email service continues after graduation, other Office 365 services end 30-60 days after graduation. OneDrive, Word, Excel, and the other Office apps are available to buy at Microsoft.com/office.
  • DrexelOne and Campus Computer Access

    Graduated students retain access to DrexelOne for one year to look up records, request transcripts, etc. Access to campus resources such as lab computers is turned off approximately 30-60 days after graduation.
  • CAMS

    The Computer Accounts Management Service (CAMS) is not available to graduates. For help with Drexel computer accounts, contact the Accounts Office (accounts@drexel.edu, 215.895.2020).
  • Early Account Deletion

    To have your account permanently closed earlier than it is scheduled please contact the Accounts Office.
  • Notification

    Students are emailed a notification outlining the Accounts and Email Continuance policy shortly before they graduate. Notification is also sent a few weeks before account closing.

Retirement

Faculty and professional staff members retiring from the University retain an email address that ends with Drexel.edu. Email service for emeritus faculty members is not changed upon retirement.

Withdrawal

Students who leave the university without completion of their degree or program may keep their email accounts and forwarding as long as they are "eligible to register." This is the period during which they may return to school without formal re-admission: one year from their last registered term.

Termination/Expulsion

Employees who are fired, students who are expelled, or any individual that is otherwise asked to leave the University "for cause" will have all email and accounts privileges terminated immediately.

Multiple Roles at the University

A person with multiple roles at the University (a faculty member that is an alumnus, a staff member that is also a student or a part-time faculty, etc.) will receive email and accounts continuance benefits that give the maximum advantage unless other considerations override that benefit.

Drexel College of Medicine accounts may also be subject to other considerations that override such benefits.