Due to increased complaints from students, faculty and staff, Computer and Information Technology (CIT) Services has begun examining the possibility of changing the college’s e-mail system.

“Circumstances have changed and the current system is reaching the end of its useful life,” said Joel Clemmer, Vice President for Library & Information Services.

According to Clemmer, unreliability is one of the major problems of the current e-mail system.

Macalester recently switched away from the (DEC) VMS system. This change, in combination with an increase in e-mail volume, has revealed and exacerbated problems in Macalester’s e-mail set-up that may be behind some of the instability.

“Mostly, I just hate it when [the server] doesn't work. Sometimes it seems like it takes a while for an email that's been sent out to reach its destination,” Megan Mulcahy ’07 agreed. “I may just be crazy, but it makes me uneasy.”

Clemmer reported that in 1998, a committee of faculty, staff and students met to identify the best electronic mail system for the campus. The committee examined e-mail systems on the market and in use at other schools around the Twin Cities, and determined that Mulberry would be the best e-mail client for Macalester. The 2004 search will focus on the problems of the current system and the needs of the future.

Although unreliability has been the main impetus for the reevaluation of the current e-mail system, Clemmer said other factors also played a part. For instance, web mail (like Silkymail) is becoming dominant.

According to Clemmer, CIT will reach a consensus by the end of the current academic year, but he said that if a new and better e-mail system is identified, it would not be installed until the summer. “We’re not going to sustain a major interruption in service during the academic year,” he said.

After commencement in May, CIT began meeting with Macalester faculty and staff about the e-mail system. For now, CIT is looking for further input from the Macalester community.

Although there have been no formal, face-to-face discussions on the e-mail issue, a handful of students have accessed CIT’s webpage at http://webboard.macalester.edu/~infoservices to participate in the online forum there.

According to Clemmer, changes will center on the needs and preferences of the Macalester community. He cited greater file sharing capacity for attachments and calendar services as possible improvements.

Students can utilize Mulberry, Silkymail, and Squirrel Mail to check e-mail, but some students use a different e-mail service altogether because of dissatisfaction with Macalester’s options.

“I have my Macalester e-mail forwarded to my Yahoo address because it is easier to check everything in one place,” Helen Peil ’06 said. “I have never used Mulberry because I don't like it.”

“I’d want large attachments (and) large inboxes so I never have to delete mail, and SPAM filters,” Carly Salter ’07 said.

“A cool address book might be nice,” Mulcahy said. “I wish you could decorate your mailbox, put pictures on it and stuff.”