This site provides general information about our new email system powered by Google Apps for Education.
What is the name of our new email system?
We held a campus nomination, and then a campus-wide vote on myGate and the clear winner was RacerMail! Our new email system is RacerMail, powered by Google Apps for Education.
Where can I go to get information about our new email system, RacerMail?
General information about our new mail system is available at http://campus.murraystate.edu/helpdesk/racermail/faq.htm. Ongoing tips and important new information will be available on the RacerMail blog and our Facebook page. Alerts and updates will be posted on RacerNet and on the Home tab in myGate.
Is there training or one-on-one help available for RacerMail?
Training and drop-in help session schedules can be found online at http://campus.murraystate.edu/training.htm
What other support options are available if I have problems using the new email system? Online help is available 24/7 at http://support.murraystate.edu. Faculty, staff and students with an @murraystate.edu email account can contact the CTLT Helpdesk for support during their office hours at (270) 809-2346. Google also offers a large collection of help articles online.
I don't use Webmail to check my @murraystate.edu email account, will I still be able to get my email using another application?
IMAP and POP mail clients such as Outlook and Entourage can easily be configured to work with RacerMail. Our support site has categories for some of the clients being used on campus available here. For further assistance, contact the Helpdesk at (270) 809-2346 or your Academic Tech Coordinator. Google offers instructions on additional clients online.
I have my email forwarded. Will that still work?
Most users will need to set-up their forwards in the new mail system (RacerMail) before they can continue to forward mail. Users forwarding to @coe.murraystate.edu addresses on our domain will be forwarded automatically during the migration to RacerMail. All other users should follow these instructions to forward their mail.
I have a Blackberry/iPhone/Windows Mobile Phone—can I read my mail there?
Yes. Information for setting-up specific mobile devices can be found a http://support.murraystate.edu/knowledgemanager/questions.php?questionid=35. Google also offers instructions for many mobile devices at http://google.com/support/a/users/bin/answer.py?answer=161917
Racermail doesn’t have all the things I've used in my personal Gmail account- where are they?
Your RacerMail (Google Apps for Education) account is not exactly the same as a Gmail account. With a Gmail account you have access to a number of applications - like online photos - that are not part of RacerMail. You can keep or create a personal Google account for other applications you wish to have.
Can I keep my old Webmail mail box?
The old Webmail site will be available until September 14th so you can access your contacts at your convenience. You will not be able to send or receive mail from Webmail. To export your contacts from the old email system (Webmail) visit http://oldmail.murraystate.edu. Instructions for exporting your contacts are available here.
Will my email address change?
No. You will continue to use your email address.
After we move to RacerMail powered by Google on August 6, how can I access my mail?
Webmail users can continue to access email online through RacerMail at http://racermail.murraystate.edu. Outlook, Entourage and Apple (Mac) Mail users will need to make some setting changes to continue accessing email. Support articles for each of these clients are available online at our support site. Please note! You cannot go to http://gmail.com and login with your MSU username and password – to access RacerMail you need to use a link provided on an msu page or go directly to the link above.
What services are included with my RacerMail account?
Your RacerMail account includes e-mail, Google Talk (instant messaging), calendaring, and document, spreadsheet, and presentation applications. Other services may be added in the future as they are available and appropriate. These applications can be accessed individually at:
http://racermail.murraystate.edu – for Google Mail
http://cal.murraystate.edu – for Google Calendar
http://docs.murraystate.edu – for Google Docs
What if I already have a personal Google/Gmail account?
Your @murraystate.edu RacerMail account is totally separate from your personal Google/Gmail account. If you created a Google personal account using your @murraystate.edu email account contact the Helpdesk at (270) 809-2346.
Can I log on to other Google-sponsored services with my RacerMail username and password (e.g. gmail.com, blogger.com, etc.)?
Your RacerMail username and password will only work with the services that have been deployed within the Murray State domain. To access other Google services, you will need to use a personal Google account.
Why do we have to change our email system? Why can't we continue to use Webmail?
The current e-mail system is aging and antiquated. Our current Webmail system is over capacity and its hardware is beginning to fail. At the same time we are receiving increasing requests from faculty, staff and students for larger mailboxes, better spam filtering, increased uptime and other features. This is not possible with our current system. In our efforts to meet needs, we find Google Apps for Education to be a win-win solution.
I see advertisements when I use my personal Google email account, will Google Apps@MSU email have ads?
No. Faculty, Staff and Student email accounts will be ad-free as part of our Google Education Edition contract agreement.
Why would Google host our email accounts for free?
Market share is a motivating factor for many of Google's free applications. They hope to develop relationships with students that will extend beyond their time in school so that they will continue to use Google products in the future.
Could Google start charging us to use their email system?
We currently have a 4-year contract agreement for free hosting with Google Apps Education Edition.
What advantages are there to using Google Apps?
In addition to providing a more reliable, user-friendly mail experience, Google Apps@MSU will also feature:
- increased mailbox size over 7 GB, our current system's default is 5MB
- stronger spam filtering and security
- campus calendar sharing and standardization
- document, spreadsheet and presentation sharing online
- better mobile device capability, including mobile calendar access
Are any other universities using Google Apps?
Over 2,000 schools have made the switch to Google Apps for Education for their email, calendaring and document sharing needs. These universities include Notre Dame, Boise State, University of Indiana, Pepperdine and Clemson. For some specific examples see: http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/customers.html
Is my mail and information at Google Apps kept private and secure?
Yes. By contract, the email data is not owned by Google. Google is simply a service provider. These and other concerns have been addressed by an educational agreement contract.
Will Google protect me against SPAM and viruses?
While no service can completely eliminate SPAM, Google has powerful SPAM filters. These executables, even if they are in a zip file. For more information, please refer to this link: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6590
Will Google search our email for marketing purposes?
No. The educational agreement prohibits that activity.
Got other questions not addressed here?
Try searching our support site at http://support.murraystate.edu or contact the CTLT Helpdesk at (270) 809-2346.
