Alumni Google Account Information
The deadline to migrate files from your Alumni Google Workspace Account is June 30, 2023.
On January 24, 2023, RISD announced that we will no longer offer alumni a full suite of Google Workspace applications and storage. This announcement, made to all alumni via the monthly alumni newsletter, was followed by direct communications to alumni who currently have @alumni.risd.edu Google Accounts. This change will go into effect on June 30, 2023.
What do I need to do to ensure I don’t lose access to my files?
Download or Transfer Your Files
If you haven’t already, you need to download or transfer your files to another storage option. Be sure the destination storage location has ample storage capacity for all your files.
Email forwarding
Once you have completed downloading or transferring your files you need to set up forwarding for your alumni email address. You can set up forwarding by following the steps shared by Google Support.
I need help. Who can I contact?
RISD ITS is available to assist alumni with account access and provide resources related to moving content. Contact ITS at servicedesk@risd.edu or call 401 454-6106, 8 am–5 pm (Monday–Friday).
Frequently Asked Questions
When does this change go into effect?
The changes to Google’s policies went into effect in July 2022. However, RISD was able to arrange for our alumni to have an extension. Alumni who currently have an @alumni.risd.edu account will need to transfer any saved files and set up forwarding for their account by June 30, 2023.
Do I have an alumni account?
If you graduated between June 2008 and June 2022, ITS automatically rolled your RISD student account into a @alumni.risd.edu account. Alumni who graduated before 2008 have been allowed to request an alumni account if they would like one.
Why didn’t I receive any notification of this change?
We are actively spreading the word to all alumni with alumni Google accounts. If we do not have updated contact information for you or you have previously unsubscribed or requested to receive no email from RISD, we may not be able to reach you. Please take a moment to update your contact information so that we can contact you with important information and ensure you receive all follow-up communications regarding this change.
Are alumni no longer being offered RISD emails?
RISD will still offer alumni email accounts (username@alumni.risd.edu); however, they are forwarding only, and you will need to provide an email address for us to forward your emails.
Why did RISD make this decision?
This change is in response to Google Workspace for Education's updated policies, which will no longer offer unlimited storage. This change is impacting many colleges and universities across the country, and like many of these institutions, RISD needed to make the difficult decision to suspend providing Google Workspace for Education to our alumni. This decision was not taken lightly and is due to an unsustainable cost which will only increase year over year.
The annual cost in 2023 to RISD to support file storage for alumni will approximately be $50,000 to $70,000 and will continue to increase over time. These costs include the fees paid to Google and RISD technical staff support.
Google’s changes to their policies went into effect July 2022. To provide time for RISD to explore all avenues before coming to a decision, RISD was able to arrange for our alumni to have an extension. RISD alumni have until June 30, 2023 to arrange for other storage options and to set up their email forwarding.
Will services linked to my RISD alumni email account be affected?
Yes. Services that require you to sign in with your RISD alumni email address and RISD password will be affected. IT recommends updating any service you may have registered with your RISD alumni email address to another personal email address to avoid any disruption in service.
This includes any service where you use the "Sign in with Google" function using your RISD Alumni account.
Will alumni still be able to access Artworks as usual?
Yes. Alumni will maintain their RISD active directory (AD) username and password to access Artworks.
Will alumni still be able to access their RISD alumni email account?
No. Alumni will not be able to access their Alumni email account (email or drive content) after June 30, 2023.
May I utilize the “Send Mail As” feature with my @alumni.risd.edu?
No. This is not possible.
How do I move my saved contacts?
The easiest way to move your contacts is to download them from your google account and import them into a different account.
How long do I have until I lose access to my saved files?
Files saved in your alumni account must be transferred by June 30, 2023.
Can I get access to my files after the deadline?
No. All files stored in your account must be transferred to a new storage option by June 30, 2023.
What are some storage options available to me?
Google has several options for storage if you wish to continue with another Google account.
Google Individual Plans*
Google One
Basic (100 GB Storage) $1.99/ month
Standard (200 GB Storage) $2.99/ month
Premium (1 TB Storage) $9.99/ month
*Google offers a 17% discount if you choose to pay annually rather than monthly.
Google Workspace Plans
Individual Account $9.99/ month
Google Business Accounts (300 users max)
Starter (30 GB) $6.00 / month / user
Standard (2 TB Pooled Storage) $12.00/ month / user
Plus (5 TB Pooled Storage) $18.00/ month / user
Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and iCloud are also commonly used options for storage.
