New e-mail system, CULink, catches some students by surprise
On Feb. 24, CU students will come across a surprise when logging onto their school e-mail accounts.
WebMail and WebCal will have been replaced with a new service called CULink. The CU Information Technology Services Web site offers a helpful guide to navigating the new system.
This new program combines e-mail and a calendar for today’s busy student. With CULink a student can easily access a contact list, a calendar, a tasks list and their different e-mail folders.
These new functions are simple and enhance the basic e-mail program. On the left sidebar of CULink, once a student logs in, there is a list of each of the functions.
The mail button provides access to the e-mail program. This is very similar to the existing WebMail. Students can access their inbox, outbox, other folders and compose their messages. There will be a larger quota for users with CULink. Instead of 50 MB, students will have 200 MB of storage. All messages in a student’s inbox will migrate to the new system, and the student will keep the same e-mail address.
Next is the new calendar function. With the CULink calendar, students can create events, e-mail friend’s invitations and manage events and invitations.
Coinciding with the calendar is the task function. With a few clicks, students can add activities and reminders to their calendars. Each task has a name, description, a “priority” setting – urgent, normal, etc – and a box to check when the job has been completed.
Sophomore psychology major John Christensen said he likes the fact more features will be added to student e-mail.
“I use WebMail all of the time and I think the calendar function will come in handy for keeping track of my busy schedule side-by-side with my e-mail,” Christensen said.
One downside to WebMail is how difficult it is to find and add contacts. With CULink, this is just one other option found on the sidebar. Contacts can be separated into different categories and show both e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
Another new and handy function is the search option. It not only can search the user’s address book, but also the entire CU-Boulder system. With one click a student can look up any CU student, faculty or staff member.
The ITS Web site offers tips to help students with the transition. Since CULink uses a student’s IdentiKey password for entrance, ITS suggests that students change their current WebMail password to match their IdentiKey to make the switch a little easier. ITS is also considering holding workshops to demonstrate the new service although none are yet scheduled.
ITS has slowly been rolling out CULink during the month. Faculty and staff with BuffMail e-mail addresses had the system switch over on Feb. 10. On Feb. 24 student accounts will be automatically rolled over.
CULink can be accessed through many different ways. Students will be able to use CUConnect, the direct Web site or one of many e-mail clients such as Outlook, Apple Mail and countless others.
Students might not even be aware of the upcoming change.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know that the e-mail system would be switching,” said sophomore anthropology major Corinne Kindoll. “As long as I can get to my messages, I don’t really care.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Julia Yugel at Julia.Yugel@thecampuspress.com