A new email system brings exciting learning opportunities for Simpson students.

The Student Government Association (SGA) proposed the change after requests from the students for more storage space.

At the start of the fall 2011 semester, all students began moving to Outlook Live, an Internet based email system through Microsoft. The email system offers a range of benefits from increased memory to virus protection and instant messaging.

After Nov. 1, all Simpson students will have migrated to the new system and use @my.simpson.edu email addresses while faculty and staff will continue using their @simpson.edu accounts.

Outlook Live will give students 10 GB of storage space on their email and an additional 25 GB of SkyDrive storage space. This will allow students to store more emails for an extended period without losing incoming emails.

“I think it is going to be nicer to have the extra memory that comes with the system and all the other perks that it has,” Ryan Lane, junior and member of the SGA technology committee, said.

An additional benefit is that, unlike the previous e-mail, students will be able to keep their account after graduation. This will also allow them to stay affiliated with the college and other alumni.

“As more of our students participate in internships, research opportunities and global travel, they will be able to continue working with other students and faculty online by using their new account on many different devices,” Kelley Bradder, vice president of information services, said.

The system also organizes emails in an instant messaging format, allowing users to read previous messages within a single email.

“I really like how you can see all the messages you sent back and forth,” sophomore Dylan Anderson said.

Other benefits include virus and spam protection; audio and video chats; application and file sharing; and the ability to collaborate on projects with shared folders.

“The tools that Outlook Live provide will help (students) work and learn together,” Bradder said.

Users are also able to access Outlook Live from any Wi-Fi location.

However, this may be a difficult transition for students who have been using the previous email.

“It made me change around my whole resume and I had to go around and change all my email systems just because of the @my.simpson.edu,” sophomore Lance Kramer said.

The launch of the system has also had a few issues and until all the problems are resolved, it will be difficult for students to accurately assess the system.

“It’s kind of confusing and I’m still getting used to it all, but I think it will work out better,” sophomore Jazmin Rubel said.