Students can say goodbye to the clunky orange UT webmail interface and claim a new University e-mail account hosted through Google next month.
After students complained for years about the inefficiency and lack of space, the Universitys Information Technology Student Advisory Committee prepared proposals to send to different vendors to create a new interface. After reviewing three finalists, the University signed its contract with Google last week.
It became clear that Googles services were both technically and aesthetically what students would probably like best, so we decided to pursue a relationship with them, said Student Government President Scott Parks.
Through Gmail, students accounts will hold up to seven gigabytes of space and be easier to navigate, said Liz Aebersold, Director of Communications and Strategy Management for Information Technology.
[Students will have] larger inbox sizes and a more modern interface, Aebersold said.
In the past, students had to stop using their UT e-mail once they graduated. Under the new contract, they will be allowed to keep the account as alumni.
The University is now focusing on finding a name for the new e-mail service. Students with ideas for names should submit them to ideas.utexas.edu. The deadline for idea submissions is Friday.
