Establishing an E-mail Account
Establishing a GCC e-mail account is crucial for a number of reasons. For one thing, a frequent complaint among students and departments alike is not being able to reach instructors. Part of being "in the loop" around here is to appear in the automated e-mail directories.
E-mail Accounts at GCC
There are two kinds of e-mail accounts held by employees on campus:
- MEMO, the e-mail system for all Maricopa Community Colleges employees. MEMO addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@gcmail.maricopa.edu
for GCC employees. The setup of this account is coordinated by your department secretary
(see
contact numbers).
- Student (Google) Mail, an e-mail system shared by Maricopa employees and students. Student addresses are in the format MEID@maricopa.edu
where "MEID" matches one's Maricopa Community Colleges enterprise ID. This account is created when you are hired and get an MEID.
Faculty and staff may use both or either of these accounts. The main advantages of a MEMO address are that its format matches those of full-time employees (for professional appearances), it includes you on Maricopa and GCC distribution lists, and it automatically places you in the directory at http://www.gccaz.edu/directory.
There are advantages in using your Student Mail too. It's one way to keep an Inbox without MEMO distribution-list messages. You might also find its GMail-based web interface convenient.
Streamlining E-mail
Afraid of having too many e-mail programs to remember and to access? Don't be!
You can forward your MEMO or Student e-mail to an account you routinely check, such as your home e-mail. To set up your Student Mail for forwarding, log onto http://google.maricopa.edu with your Maricopa MEID and password and click Settings in the upper right. The Forwarding tab on the Settings page will give you e-mail forwarding and filtering options.
To set up your MEMO account for forwarding, open http://gcmail.maricopa.edu/ and follow the link to the Personal Administration Tool ; after logging in, use the link labeled Personal Account Manager for forwarding options.
The two aforementioned URLs are also the links for web-based access to your e-mail inboxes. In a pinch, you only need a Web browser and an Internet connection – on any computer – to access your GCC e-mail!
You can also open multiple e-mail accounts separately in most e-mail programs, i.e. with inboxes sorted by account.
Organizing Multiple Uses of E-mail
You might find it helpful to use "split" your e-mail identity between, say, your teaching duties and the cute nickname you use for e-mail at home. Some browser/e-mail programs (Netscape, Seamonkey, etc.) allow you to set up multiple profiles to have their own distinct e-mail settings without you having to use multiple applications to achieve the separation.
For multi-tasking with your e-mail you will find it very helpful to learn how e-mail filters work. You can create custom folders in addition to your Inbox – for example, "ENG101 Assignments" – so that mail meeting criteria such as a certain subject lines, to: or from: addresses, etc., automatically arrive in that custom folder. You can even use such criteria to make certain kinds of mail arrive instantly in your trash bin! The process of creating filters varies according to your e-mail program, but almost all e-mail programs include this option.
