Pilot Project Brings E-mail to TAMIU Students This Semester

Texas A&M International University students will be able to have their own address in cyberspace as part of a pilot program which will provide student electronic mail (E-mail).

Lakshmana Viswanath, Director of TAMIU's Computer and Telecommunication services said the Student E-mail Pilot Program will be available to 500 students initially as part of a semester-long experiment.

"Email is rapidly emerging as the preferred means of communication in both academic and workplace settings. We are happy to be able to offer TAMIU students an opportunity to have their own private E-Mail accounts authorized by the University," he said.

Viswanath said the service will begin on Monday, Jan. 22 and continue throughout the Spring Semester.

"We will assess the pilot program's success and possible expansion to a greater number of users later this year. Throughout the semester, we will be monitoring usage trends, student needs and the overall system performance," he explained.

The service will be available to the first 500 students who apply for the limited number of E-mail accounts, he said.

"Students interested in obtaining an E-mail account must obtain an application form in room C-115 and review the Student E-mail Pilot Program Ethics Policy. The application form must be completed by the student and returned with one 3.5" double-sided high-density disk. The student must also present a current semester student identification card," he said.

Viswanath said the application review process should take about three days. Students should return to room C-115 to obtain their account information.

He said the University will also offer a series of E-mail workshops that will be scheduled.

"It's a new medium and there are some rules of E-mail etiquette as well as some system limitations that students need to be aware of. The workshops will give them hands-on exposure to make the most of their personal E-mail address," he explained.

For additional information, contact TAMIU's Computer and Telecommunications Services at 326-2290.

CTS office hours are from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.