By the end of this semester, all @students.calvin.edu email addresses will be replaced with @calvin.edu addresses, allowing all students and employees to log in to the same domain. Following the transition, students will also need to log in to all accounts associated with their Calvin email addresses, including Google applications and Microsoft Office software using the calvin.edu domain.

All files associated with the @students.calvin.edu domain, including all files stored in associated Google Drives, will be permanently deleted in May 2022. Students’ @calvin.edu accounts already exist, so students can log in to those account domains and transfer files from their old accounts into their new @calvin.edu Drives at any time.

To transfer files, students should use an Incognito Window to avoid issues with other Google accounts, according to a guide video provided by Calvin Information Technology. Students should log in to their existing accounts and use the “manage account” menu to navigate to “transfer content.” Students should enter their new @calvin.edu addresses into the transfer destination bar. CIT recommends seniors transfer their files into a personal Drive.

Transferring files can take up to a week, depending on how much content is stored. Once transferred, students can log in to their new accounts using their new address and old password and access all their files.

According to Project Manager Randy Nieuwsma, Calvin’s students and employees have traditionally used separate systems for email, given that student and employee needs differed., “Students needed email to be something they could access from their personal devices wherever they were located (years ago this was difficult),” said Nieuwsma. “Employees needed features like coordinating meeting schedules and resources, which were only found in systems like Groupwise.” Since transitioning to Office365, these differences gradually decreased. Nieuwsma said it now makes more sense to have a single ecosystem for everyone. 

“The changes we are making now are to complete that consolidation and reduce confusion going forward,” Nieuwsma told Chimes.