E-mail as an Official Means of Communication to Students

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Why has BSU adopted a policy of using e-mail as an official means of communication?

    Most of us now use e-mail for a variety of purposes. E-mail is rapidly becoming the preferred means of conveying information quickly and using minimal resources. The speed, efficiency and low cost of e-mail will improve communications and reduce costs, resulting in important benefits to BSU and its students. Similar policies are already in effect at many colleges and universities around the nation.
     
  2. What is the meaning of "e-mail as an official means of communication?"
    BSU will consider the use of e-mail in communicating with students to be an effective alternative to the use of land mail or telephones. The choice of the means of communication, e-mail or otherwise, will depend upon the nature of the message and the method deemed most appropriate by the BSU department or faculty member initiating the communication. Many of the communications students have received by land mail in the past may now come via e-mail.
     
  3. How can I activate my official e-mail address?

    Students should activate their BSU Account online at https://www.bridgew.edu/services/claimaccount/bsc/policy.cfm.   Once activated, students can login to mail from the BSU home page http://www.bridgew.edu using Student Email option under Quicklinks.   

    Students may Reset their BSU password online.
     
  4. How will I know that an e-mail message is an authentic, official BSU communication?

    We strongly encourage you to evaluate the contents of every communication before taking any irrevocable actions. E-mail in many cases is not automatically verifiable, but this is no different from a phone call or a letter. So if the contents seem unusual, we recommend you take additional steps to verify the correspondence.
     
  5. How often should I check my e-mail?

    Ideally, you should plan to check your e-mail daily since some communications may be time-critical.
     
  6. What are the potential consequences if I fail to receive an official e-mail from BSU because of spam filters or failure to provide a working e-mail address?

    The consequences would be the same as if you did not receive University information through regular mail or any other form of communication. For example, if you do not receive a tuition bill sent by e-mail and you fail to pay by a specified date, your class schedule may be canceled. Likewise, failure to receive e-mail containing information regarding availability of financial aid, information about registration and class schedules, updates on class cancellations, or other important University services will have the same consequence as if that information were sent by another method of communication besides e-mail, and for some reason the information did not reach you. As mentioned above, you are fully responsible for making sure you are receiving all of your e-mail from BSU.  Excuses such as "I didn't check my e-mail," error in forwarding mail, or e-mail returned to BSU with "mailbox full" or "user unknown" will not be acceptable reasons for missing University messages.
     
  7. How will the policy affect me if I don't have Internet access during holidays or the summer?

    There are always going to be cases when someone is not available by normal communications methods. Internet access is now like phone and postal service, so it would be the same as if BSU tried to call you or send you a letter and you were unreachable through either of those methods.
     
  8. Is there an easy way to check my e-mail no matter where I am?

    Since your BSU e-mail account is web-based, you have access to your e-mail at anytime from anywhere as long as you have Internet access. 
     
  9. I use a non-BSU e-mail account for most correspondence, should I redirect my BSU e-mail to that account?

    It's your choice. However, BSU is not responsible for e-mail redirected to off-campus service providers.
  10. How can filtering affect my receipt of e-mail?

    Many people use desktop spam filters or subscribe to an e-mail service that implements these filters. In all such cases you are responsible for making sure that you are receiving your e-mail from BSU, including from your professors. Most BSU e-mail coming to you will come from an address that ends in bridgew.edu, but occasionally University employees or agencies may be using another service.  If you are using client-based filtering, you need to make sure you are getting all of your BSU e-mail.
     
  11. Where can I get help?

    For technical assistance, contact IT Support Services via e-mail at ITSupport@bridgew.edu or by phone at 508.531.2555.  You can also drop by either of the two support centers, located at Maxwell Library and Moakley Center.
     

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Last Modified: July 30, 2012