Say goodbye to Aggiemail
On June 7, Utah State University sent out an email to students announcing that all Aggiemail accounts would be decommissioned by May 30, 2022.
Although the email said it was a “difficult decision,” USU has decided to create new emails for each student. These new emails contain their student A number followed by “usu.edu” that can be accessed starting immediately.
This decision comes after an original announcement from Google on Nov. 11, 2020. It stated on June 1, 2021 any new photo or video content uploaded to any Google account would count against the free 15 GB of storage they offer.
“Google has, for over a decade, provided unlimited storage and services free of charge to educational institutions. Thanks to this generosity, USU has been able to extend access via AGGIEMAIL personal account services; including free and unlimited use of Google Photos, Google Drive, and an @aggiemail.usu.edu e-mail address to many students, faculty, staff, alumni and summer citizens,” the email stated.
Because Aggiemail is a Google account, it affects all USU students, faculty, alumni, club accounts and summer citizens.
Another announcement from Google then followed in February. It explained that they would no longer provide unlimited services and storage for educational institutions.
The announcement stated, “To support schools into the future and ensure fair distribution of this valuable resource, we will be implementing a new pooled storage model and helping admins and school leaders manage their storage.”
Instead of giving colleges and universities unlimited data, it will now all be pooled together and distributed as Google sees fit based on the needs of each individual institution.
The announcement also said that the reason for these changes were solely based on their need to keep up with the constant demand for storage space.
“Although it is an inconvenience to have to download all my stuff and switch emails,” said Tristin Soule, a sophomore at USU, “I am glad that the university is making the decision that they believe will best suit their students.”
Although Google isn’t implementing their changes for educational institutions until July 2022, both Google and USU wanted to allow people time to manage their data.
On USU’s information technology website, it informs all Aggiemail users that they will send quarterly reminders until December 2021, monthly reminders starting in January 2022, and weekly reminders starting April 15, 2022.
The website also explains what steps Aggiemail users need to take before their account is removed.
This includes updating a new email address to any associated services, checking all personal accounts to ensure nothing is connected to the Aggiemail email, and downloading any photos, messages or data to another location.
Students can also delete their Aggiemail accounts through MyID.usu.edu at any time leading up to May 30, 2022 when it will automatically be removed.
Jacee.Caldwell@usu.edu
@JaceeCaldwell