• How do I get a BC email account?
• I would prefer to use another email address. Is that okay?
• How come I have two different BC addresses?
• What email programs are in use at BC and how do I get one set up on my computer
• Can I install an email program on my home/personal machine?
• Can I forward my email to another account?
• How do I send an email message to my entire class?
• I'd like to create an email distribution list (listserv) for my committee work.
• I receive a lot of unsolicited junk email (Spam). What is BC doing about it and what can I do?
• Does BC archive messages?
• How do I set an Out of Office Message?

How do I get a BC email account? Boston College provides email service to all faculty, staff, and students. A BC username and password is required to access your email account.

I would prefer to use another email address. Is that okay? (Yes but forward your BC email account.) Students and colleagues searching the BC Directory, will by default, find your BC email address. It cannot be deactivated. Also, Campus Groups, a widely used distribution list system works with BC addresses only. Consequently, if you prefer to use another account/address, we recommend that you set your BC account to forward to your preferred account. 

• Mail forwarding from Exchange is currently NOT self-service. Please contact the Help Center for assistance at 2-HELP (617-552-4357) or help.center@bc.edu.

How come I have two different BC addresses? In addition to the address format username@bc.edu, BC provides an "friendly address" alias which takes the form: firstname.lastname.#@bc.edu. Find your exact friendly address by searching the online directory. Both formats will deliver mail to the same account, but ITS recommends that you use your friendly address.

• Exchange Reply To addresses will always default to the friendly address.
• Were you a "dot1"? The "dot1" has been dropped. firstname.lastname.1@bc.edu addresses are now firstname.lastname@bc.edu.

What email programs are in use at BC and how do I get one set up on my computer?

• Outlook Web Access (owa.bc.edu) is the web program for Exchange Users. Access OWA | Learn about OWA
• A variety of email applications can be configured to access your BC email account. Visit the email homepage: www.bc.edu/email 
• If you need assistance, call 2-HELP (4357) or contact your Technology Consultant.
• Learn about your BC email.

Can I install an email program on my home/personal machine? Yes. You may already have an application installed and using the instructions provided from the link above, you can configure it for your BC Account.

• Apple Mail is a component of  Mac OS X;
• Outlook is a component of the Microsoft Office Suite of Software.
• You can download Microsoft Outlook from the ITS Software site.
• You can access Outlook Web Access (owa.bc.edu) from any workstation with a network connection and a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.)

Can I forward my email to another account? Mail forwarding from Exchange is currently NOT self-service. Please contact the Help Center for assistance at 2-HELP (617-552-4357) or help.center@bc.edu.

How do I send an email message to my entire class? Class distribution groups are generated automatically with Boston College's Campus Group system. They are viewable within Agora Portal (select Campus Group >My Groups) or through the Agora Portal (My Services>Common Services> Campus Groups)

• You can send email to your entire class by typing the Campus Group Class code directly into the To: Cc: or Bcc: field of your email program. Learn how.
• Campus Groups can also be used to distribute voicemail messages.Advisee distribution groups are also provided.

I'd like to create an email distribution list (listserv) for my committee work.  You can create email distribution lists using Campus Groups if all members have BC email addresses. You can create groups within the Addess component of most email programs. You can also create a BCPost ListServ. ListServs give you a variety of additional options including control over whom can post to the list and what can be posted. BCPost, BC's mailing list (listserv) service has a web user interface which allows you to view, work with and manage lists via the web.

• If you want to include non-BC email addresses and/or be able to restrict access or moderate content, use BCPost.
• Messages are archived and can be viewed online.

I receive a lot of unsolicited junk email (Spam). What is BC doing about it and what can I do? Over the past year, BC has seen a tremendous increase in the volume of spam/junk email received. This problem is not unique to Boston College. Boston College uses a Spam Quarantine system (ProofPoint) which stops a lot of spam before it ever reaches your Inbox. If you are still receiving unwanted messages, you can add addresses to the quarantine. Lean how at: www.bc.edu/quarantine

Does BC archive messages? Yes. BC has an archive system which makes a backup copy of faculty/staff Exchange accounts. Attachment archiving is being phased in across campus. Learn more at www.bc.edu/emailmgmt

How do I set an Out of Office Message? Out of office messages are easy to set using Outlook Web Access. Learn about OWA.