Student Union

St. Louis, MO: Student Union will begin to offer student groups new web services from Google Apps on January 15, 2009, as a “proof of concept” project that was initiated last spring.

The new services from Google Apps will include an @su.wustl.edu email address that utilizes Gmail with over 6 GB of space, calendar and document sharing, and google sites.

“Harnessing the power of Google Apps will allow student groups to conduct business more efficiently” said Jeff Nelson, Vice President of Administration. “Students on campus have expressed a desire for improvements to the various email systems on campus. Student Union is proud to be taking the lead and offering student groups next generation web applications.”

In February, the Student Union Technology Resources Committee conducted a survey that found thatseventy-nine percent of students favored Gmail in the event that student email were outsourced.

Student Union has been working with Student Technology Services and the University General Counsel to develop this program as a pilot and a proof-of-concept for a potential student-wide switch to a commercial email service.

“The University has not committed to outsourcing student email yet” said Nelson “as this is a proof of concept, meaning we’re testing the waters and gathering information that will help us make future decisions, but we hope that student group use of Google Apps can further demonstrated that Gmail is a resource that will improve the student experience.”