UF alumni petition to keep email accounts

More than 1,200 University of Findlay alumni have signed a petition pledging not to donate to UF unless it reverses its decision to terminate their university email accounts. "Despite the guarantee of a lifetime UFnet email address, the University of Findlay has decided to terminate all alumni accounts beyond 18 months of graduation after Sunday, June 26, 2022," the petition begins. "Furthermore, we paid over six figures in tuition to graduate from The University of Findlay and the university has still decided to go back on their word." The change.org petition is addressed to Katherine Fell, university president; Marcia Sloan Latta, vice president of university advancement; Julie Klingler, director of the Wolfe Center for Alumni, Parents and Friends; and Raymond McCandless, vice president of information technology services. The petition was posted by Bryce Adams and developed along with his friend, Andrew Hoffman. Both graduated from UF's pharmacy school, a six-year program, Hoffman in 2016 and Adams in 2017. Hoffman, now a resident of Beavercreek, said he was sent a flyer after he graduated stating that among the benefits of being a UF alum was lifetime email. On Feb. 25, the university sent a mass email indicating that all alumni accounts beyond 18 months of graduation would be terminated as of June 26. Safety, security concerns Natasha Lancaster, communication and design specialist at UF, wrote in an email to The Courier that the university "had to discontinue alumni email accounts after extensive review and consideration of many safety, security, and financial concerns." She said many other higher education institutions are making the same decision, "though it was not an easy one to make by any means." She wrote that compromised accounts and ransomware cases have been on the rise. "Over 95% of phishing and ransomware emails to current faculty, staff, and students in the last two years have come from compromised alumni email accounts," Lancaster wrote. "We have also been notified that these compromised accounts have targeted external organizations including other universities and financial institutions." The alumni petition notes that many alumni have continued to use their UF email accounts for personal and professional contact, and that many other accounts (such as banking, bills, student loans and social media) are linked to the email. Adams, who now lives in Maryland, said he counted more than 100 accounts linked to his UF email, which is "pretty much my primary email." In addition to student loans, he uses it for professional contacts, like his state's board of pharmacy in order to keep his license active. He said alumni are working to switch over all of these accounts, but given their sheer number, "that's pretty burdensome." And, he said, if he forgets the login for an account, in the future "it will be sent to an email that no longer exists." Hoffman said he likes having an email address ending in .edu. He said it appears more professional, is a chance to represent his school, and starts conversations. He, too, has been using it as his primary email address. Adams said people are mostly reporting they are signing the petition because of the burden of switching everything over. For the others, it is "just on principle, that this was Findlay's word that they gave us." He suggested that, if cybersecurity was the concern, UF could require people to opt in to their email every six months or annually. He and Hoffman said a paid alumni email subscription service might be another alternative. 'A mixed bag of emotions' Lancaster, asked about the opt-in idea, responded in a subsequent email that, while accounts that don't get used regularly are at the highest risk of being compromised, "In the technologically advanced world we live in today, any account, active or inactive, can be compromised." She said another factor was UF's cyber insurance policies and its current insurer being unable to extend its policy "without substantial increases that would have to be passed on to current and future students through increases in fees/costs." Lancaster said cyber insurance is designed to protect the insured from risks like malware, ransomware and the effects of compromised accounts. "Viruses and ransomware can spread quickly throughout a network and would directly impact students, faculty, staff, and the overall operation of the University," she wrote. "Increases in cost of insurance come from increases in risk and the overall quantity of emails that are licensed. If the University, or any organization, fails to be in compliance with the best-practice safety standards, they also risk not qualifying for coverage." She said UF is aware of the petition, and some alumni have reached out directly "and we have explained the situation to them," as well as providing information on next steps to consider. A March 24 update to the petition urged alumni to share their story of how UF's decision to close alumni emails would impact them, among other suggested actions, as UF's "24 Hours of Giving" began. Adams said some alumni who have previously given to the university have decided to stop. He said he doesn't want UF "to be punished or hurt," but decreased alumni relations will have implications beyond the financial, including making it harder for current students to connect for job and internship prospects. Adams said it would help if UF even just set up email forwarding, while Hoffman, noting that many alumni have children as well as full-time jobs or serve in the military, urged extending it beyond four months. Both Adams and Hoffman emphasized that they think well of the university. "It's a great school," Adams said. "We're thankful for our education there." Hoffman said both interns he has had as a professional pharmacist have been UF pharmacy students, and he thinks it's a great pharmacy program. "I'm proud that I went there," Hoffman said. "I don't know anyone who isn't." He added that "I don't want to hurt the university," so it is "a mixed bag of emotions."