Seven Reasons for Using Your "@wiu.edu" E-mail Address

  1. It is available via the web. It is often referred to as "Rockymail." (You can go to www.wiu.edu/ then click Popular Sites and choose webmail or go to www.wiu.edu/WebMail/.) Accessible from anywhere in the world.
  2. You can set things up to view your mail using Outlook Express (included as part of Windows) or Outlook. This is often desirable over the Internet/web version. Accessible from anywhere in the world. BTW, if you have more than one e-mail address* you can view them all using Outlook Express or Outlook.
  3. It is "free." Actually it is included as part of your fees. You are paying for it, use it.
  4. Since you are paying for it, you get support. If you have questions about how to use some feature you can call the helpdesk at (309)298-2704.
  5. It is becoming the expectation that the @wiu.edu address will be used. Fewer and fewer things are being mailed via USMail. More and more is being sent via e-mail--financial aid information, early warning grades, semester grades, and important announcements from your major department to name a few.
  6. Communication student-to-student and instructor-to-student is improved. Everyone can look up your @wiu.edu address easily using various means (and will be using the correct spelling). You no longer have to give your e-mail address to a classmate or instructor. They can just look it up and send you information.
  7. Using other "free" services, such as hotmail or yahoo, may lead to problems:
    1. You have limited amount of memory space (unless you pay a fee) and if you fill up your space, then messages-especially with attachments-can't be sent to you.
    2. There may be a spam setting blocking messages sent to groups of size 30 or more, thereby blocking messages from your professor to you and your 34 classmates.
    3. Some of the e-mail providers are deciding to discontinue the free lunch, so you never know when your free service will be discontinued.

*It is actually a good idea to maintain more than one e-mail address. You may want to have a hotmail or yahoo account that you use for certain purposes. For school work it is recommended that you use your @wiu.edu account.

By Jim Olsen
Western Illinois University

updated: August 13, 2002