Before you proceed, please accept Rice Terms of Service and set up your password in https://mynetid.rice.edu/

FAQs:

Q: I've set up a vanity email address. What is Google doing with it?

Q: What will happen to my account after I graduate?

Q: I would like to view my Rice mail with a dedicated mail client like Outlook or Thunderbird. How can I do that?

Q: I am concerned that Google will read my email. What does Google do with my email content?

Q: Will Rice IT be able to read my email?

Q: Can Google accounts be created for my club or organization?

Q: I've set up a vanity email address. What is Google doing with it?

A: Vanity addresses are connected to your account, and they're synchronized twice a day. You can look people up in Google Contacts by their vanity addresses, and you can use them to add people to Google Docs or to Google Calendar events.

However, you cannot by default send emails from a vanity address - if you want to do so, you have to specifically add it as an address  you can send from. Receiving mail sent to a vanity alias will still work fine - Rice takes care of that before the messages ever make it to Google.

Note: When you set up your vanity address so that you can send mail from it, you also have the option of specifying a different Reply-To:  address. 

Q: What will happen to my account after I graduate?

A: Rice GSuite for Education accounts are available only to current undergraduates or graduate students attending Rice University.

You should plan ahead when you are about to graduate. In the fall after graduation, you receive an email notifying you that your account will be deleted in January. Any email, data, photos, or shared files associated with your account will also be deleted. For example, if you are employed as a student worker at Rice and used Google docs to share files with your department, this information will be deleted. Share a back-up copy with the department.

To back up your data, we recommend you use Google Takeout.

Visit the Alumni website for services after graduation.

Q: I would like to view my Rice mail with a dedicated mail client like Outlook or Thunderbird. How can I do that?

A: As long as you've set your password, you can setup most mail clients to view your Rice Gmail. You can read about how to set up a mail client in this artile.

Q: I am concerned that Google will read my email. What does Google do with my email content?

A: Google is very open about what it does with email content. They state clearly what they do at http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.  The automated scanning of email for advertisement targeting is done in addition to what is considered normal email scanning for viruses, spam and other features, however Rice has control over advertisement display and this feature is turned off. That stated, Google's new Terms of Service states that they are scanning user data in order to provide a more "simple and intuitive experience" but we don't know exactly what that means nor do we understand how your personal information may be obscured to protect your privacy.

Q: Will Rice IT be able to read my email?

A: Google provides administrative access to email accounts in order to be able to manage the services.  This includes the ability to read messages in a user's mailbox, which is no different than how we manage the Rice email services today. Rice IT has strict procedures regarding this access, requiring approval by the provost for student and faculty email, and HR approval for staff email or by the user directly, the user's supervisor, HR, or by court order. This same procedure exists for access to the Rice email systems and Google today. Also, the Google contract has specific elements of privacy that Rice must adhere to in addition to and in concert with Rice Policy. The Rice IT Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines can be found at https://vpit.rice.edu/policies. Google policies regarding acceptable use and privacy can be found at http://www.google.com/privacy/privacy-policy.html and http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/terms/use_policy.html

Q: Can Google accounts be created for my club or organization?

A: No, Rice Google accounts can only be created for individuals. A Google group can be made but not a Google account. Read more about Google Groups in this article.

 For more information and support, please contact the OIT Help Desk.