Through the spring and summer of 2018, IT transitioned email services from on-campus servers to Office 365 (O365). That transition included new handling for "mailinglists". As of August 3, 2018 list management through O365 uses new tools with improved features.

Email List Options

Office 365 Groups:

  • Prefix: gr-
  • Management: Self-Managed

Distribution Lists:

  • Prefix: dl-
  • Managemet: IT-managed

Canvas Mail

  • Prefix: None
  • Management: Data-generated

Impact

WPI Mailing List Policy

A new policy governing naming has been developed for all O365 Groups and Distribution Lists. When an O365 Group is created or a Distribution List is requested, IT will review the new name. Names that are inappropriate or do not comply with the policy will not be allowed.

Using O365 Groups

O365 Groups replace most of the mailinglists. Owners and members will see a Groups folder in the Outlook  client or O365 Outlook for the Web. In addition to a Group email, collaboration features are available.

Using Distribution Lists

Using O365 Outlook for the Web:

  • Moderators of a campus distribution list, such as students@wpi.edu, will access moderation options.
  • Members can see Distribution Lists they belong to and manage membership.

Personal Email Lists

Personal Contact Groups appear in your Outlook Contacts folder.

Frequently Asked Questions

I need to create or manage a mailing list, where did www.wpi.edu/+mailinglist go?

www.wpi.edu/+mailinglist was retired and has been replaced with Microsoft O365 functionality. Groups and Distribution Lists will be used going forward.

I used to receive daily junk mail filtering (PureMessage) reports, but they have stopped. Why?

PureMessage, the legacy junk mail filtering tool, has been retired. Going forward, Microsoft's native Junk Mail handling will be used.

I feel like I am missing some email. Is something wrong?

Check your Junk Email folder. Microsoft has enhanced junk mail handling which may mistakenly catch valid email you want to receive. You may need to set valid entries as "safe senders". View details about managing Junk Email in Outlook for the Web

Can I still use Squirrelmail?

No, Squirrlemail has been retired. Give Outlook for the Web a try!

We renamed our group but are now receiving bounceback messages when sending to the new name. Why is this?

Renaming a group does not change its mailing address. Using the original email address that was created for the group should allow for emails to send properly. If you do not know the original mailing address, you can find it by searching the new display name in the Global Address List.