If you logged into ANGEL this week, you probably noticed the announcement posted by Student Information regarding Buffalo State’s switch to Gmail.
According to the announcement, you will be able to activate your Student Gmail accounts on Oct. 12. Your current Webmail will be archived. Student Information promises to send out detailed activation instructions shortly before the student email switches servers.
Feelings are mixed about the issue. Some people don’t want Google to take over their student email for one reason or another. But whether or not you’re a fan of Gmail, it can’t be worse than our current Webmail, which would have been cutting-edge on your Windows 95.
Although not everybody has a problem with the current system, we’ve heard and experienced countless complaints about glitches and the difficult interface. Inboxes filled up fast with messages, causing emails to be rejected. Messages you were certain you had sent never reached their destination, even though the recipient’s address was correct. Some of us resorted to using other emails — even Gmail — to cope with the inconsistencies.
We’re sure that using Gmail as the platform for student email will be much more user-friendly to campus students, especially for those who have a hard time with web technology to begin with. It will, of course, be new to some, but at least some students who already use Gmail will be spared the difficulties of learning their way around a new technological implementation.
Ultimately, this switch seems promising in correcting the host of email issues we’ve encountered as students at this school.