RamMail Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
- What is RamMail?
- How will I log in to the new RamMail service?
- Can I log on to other Google-sponsored services with my RamMail username and password?
- Will this affect faculty and staff?
- What does the future hold for RamMail?
- Will my e-mail address stay the same?
- What will happen to all of my old e-mail?
- What will happen to all of my old Address Book contacts?
- What if I already have a personal Gmail account?
- Can I access my RamMail e-mail using a mobile device or other mail clients?
- Am I required to use my RamMail e-mail account?
Calendar
Docs
Technical Info
- What web browsers can I use with RamMail?
- Why do I need a separate password for IMAP/POP/Mobile access?
Security and Privacy
- Is my data private with Google Apps?
- What assurance does ASU provide about privacy when using Gmail?
- What can be done to protect unauthorized access to data stored on Google servers?
Overview
What is RamMail?
RamMail is the name of the new ASU student e-mail system powered by Google. The service also includes access to Google Calendar.
How will I log in to the new RamMail service?
You will access RamMail the same way you access your e-mail now - through RamPort. Log in to RamPort and click the RamMail icon in the E-mail Links channel. Your username and password will not change.
Can I log on to other Google-sponsored services with my RamMail username and password?
Your RamMail username and password will only work with the services that have been deployed within the ASU domain. To access other Google services, you will need to sign up for a separate personal Google account.
Will this affect faculty and staff?
Faculty and staff will keep Microsoft Exchange as their e-mail provider and will be able to communicate with students in the same manner as before, since student e-mail addresses will not change.
What does the future hold for RamMail?
Partnering up with Google is positioning IT to be able to provide many other services and points of integration that do not currently exist. We are excited about the possibilities that exist, and look forward to receiving feedback from students, faculty, and staff as to how best to leverage the new technologies that are now available to ASU through the new partnership.
Will my e-mail address stay the same?
Your ASU e-mail address will not change.
What will happen to all of my old e-mail?
As part of the conversion, all of your mail that is in the RamPort E-mail system will be moved over to RamMail for you automatically.
What will happen to all of my old Address Book contacts?
As part of the conversion, all of your Address Book contacts will be exported and e-mailed to you with instructions for importing them into RamMail.
What if I already have a personal Gmail account?
RamMail is a separate account that allows you to send and receive e-mail using your official @angelo.edu e-mail address. Your RamMail account provides the benefits of Gmail in an advertisement-free environment.
Can I access my RamMail e-mail using a mobile device?
Yes. You can connect to your RamMail account a variety of different ways. However, you will need to set a separate password to access RamMail outside of a web browser. View instructions on our RamMail for Mobile Devices page.
Am I required to use my RamMail e-mail account?
Utilizing your RamMail account ensures that you will receive official notices and messages from the University. While you may choose to forward mail sent to the RamMail account to an outside account, we strongly encourage you to access RamMail directly to avoid any complications with other third-party Internet Service Providers.
Calendar
Can I access my class schedule or other RamPort calendars in the RamMail calendar?
The RamMail calendar is intended for personal use, and events from the official RamPort calendar will not be automatically added to it. You may, however, export your RamPort calendars and import them into your RamMail calendar following these instructions.
Docs
How do I access Google Docs in my RamMail account?
At this point, Google Docs are available in RamMail only at the request of faculty for the students in their course(s). Faculty members should contact the IT Service Center by phone, (325) 942-2911, or e-mail, to open the request.
Technical Info
What web browsers can I use with RamMail?
In order to take advantage of the newest features Google recommends using Firefox 2.0+ (Windows, Mac, Linux), Safari 3.0+ (Mac), Internet Explorer 7.0+ (Windows) or Google Chrome (Windows). For more information or to download the suggested browsers, see the Google Supported Browsers web page.
Why do I need a separate password for IMAP/POP/Mobile access?
When you access RamMail through a web browser, you log in using your ASU Technology Access Account username and password. The authentication takes place on ASU’s servers and your password is never transmitted to Google. However, if you would like to access your account using desktop or mobile e-mail software, you will need to use a separate password that will be transmitted to Google for authentication.
Security and Privacy
Is my data private with Google Apps?
A qualified yes; Google Apps is considered public when it comes to storing sensitive or protected information. We recommend that you store only non-sensitive information such as class assignments and other class related information in Google Apps, but no protected information should be stored within Google Apps. Protected information such as Social Security Numbers, grade information, medical patient information and university financial information should not be stored here. Google maintains Privacy Policies for each of its applications. For a complete list and access to each of these policies, please visit Google Apps for Education Security and Privacy page. In general:
- You own your data and all licenses thereto; Google does not own your data.
- ASU retains ownership of any data that concerns ASU business
- You decide with whom you will share your data; Google does not share your data. There are a few exceptions in the Privacy Policy (e.g., court order, imminent threat to life).
- Google keeps the data as long as you want.
- Google deletes the data when you ask.
- Google allows you to take the data out of its system.
What assurance does ASU provide about privacy when using Gmail?
You should review the Google Apps for Education Security and Privacy page as it should answer many of your e-mail-privacy-related questions.
What can be done to protect unauthorized access to data stored on Google servers?
The privacy and security provisions in the agreement with Google state that administration and management of Gmail accounts in the ASU domain are under the control of ASU e-mail administrators. Names and other such data will not be sent to Google when accounts are provisioned. Subsequently, ASU users do not send their user names and passwords to Google when they authenticate to use secure campus services, authentication is done through on-campus services.
For specific questions about data security, contact the ASU Information Security Office.
