Though it is commonly said that once you matriculate, you become a member of Dartmouth for life, most of the time this refers to the seemingly endless solicitations for donations.
But a recently adopted Computing Services plan has given an added meaning to the expression -- because graduates of the College who are willing to pay a small fee will be able to maintain a Dartmouth electronic-mail address for life.
The new Alumni Computing Network policy guaranteeing Dartmouth alumni the same e-mail address for life begins this summer.
Director of Alumni Relations Nelson Armstrong said he was unsure exactly what the standard form for the addresses would be, though he said he hoped they would end in "dartmouth.org."
The service will allow alumni users to forward their e-mail to existing personal or business accounts from their Dartmouth addresses, Computing Services Associate Director for Consulting Randall Spydell said.
Although alumni will not have actual Dartmouth e-mail accounts, the permanent addresses make keeping close ties easier with alumni who change e-mail accounts when they move or get a new job, Armstrong said.
It will allow for "a little more direct access to young alumni in the first five years" after graduation when they "have a tendency to move around," he said.
James Muiter '98, one of the authors of the proposal, said there has been high alumni demand for the service.
When graduating seniors give up their BlitzMail accounts, "it's like pulling the baby bottle away because the alums go to jobs where they do not have e-mail and cannot stay in contact with friends," Muiter said.
Alumni interested in the program will pay a small annual fee and receive a password, according to Armstrong.
The cost to the College will be minimal, Armstrong said, because the alumni fee will cover most of the costs of equipment and personnel.
Though interested alumni will have to pay a fee, Armstrong said there are prospects of giving graduating classes free access to the program for at least their first year after graduation.
Several seniors said the e-mail service would be helpful to them.
Ben Morgan '97 said the idea of losing his BlitzMail account is "scary." He said he has already had difficulty keeping in touch with friends who graduated last year.
"As long as it doesn't put too great a strain on the e-mail system within the College, I think it's a good idea," Najam Haider '97 said.
Although Andrew Terzella '97 said the program could be useful, he said "it will be good to get back to using the telephone" instead of e-mail when contacting his friends.
Also included in the Alumni Computing Network proposal are plans for an expanded Internet alumni website to which alumni newsletters will be posted.
"These World Wide Web services would likely provide a cyberspace gathering place for alumni classes, regional clubs, affinity groups, reunions, continuing education events and maybe individuals," Spydell said.
The Alumni Computing Network may also include an alumni name and address directory -- a resource for alumni trying to find former classmates and for current students seeking employment or internship contacts, Spydell said.
Also in the preliminary stages are plans for alumni chat rooms and the live broadcast of Dartmouth sports games over the Internet for alumni viewing, he said.
Once the program is established, Armstrong said it will be advertised through mediums like the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine late this summer.
The Alumni Computing Network proposal was authored by Muiter, Michael Pryor '98, Spydell and Computing Services Associate Director for Academic Information Resources John Hawkins.
Similar alumni e-mail programs are in place at Northwestern University, Princeton University, Stanford University and Yale University.
