ADVICE

Registration for services

De-registration from computing facilities

When you leave the University, you are no longer entitled to use the University's computing facilities. This document describes the processes used to inform people that their accounts are scheduled for deletion prior to their removal.

Warning of scheduled deletion of accounts

A regular check is made against central staff and student database of all those with current computing accounts. Once this is done, individuals who appear to have left, or be about to leave  the University are sent warning messages .

  • Undergraduates are warned when they appear to have left within the last week, their accounts are locked 2 weeks after the warning and deleted a week later

  • Postgraduates are warned once they appear to have left more than 14 days ago; their accounts are locked 2 weeks after the warning and deleted a week later

  • Staff are warned 5 weeks and 1 week before their recorded date of leaving They receive a final warning  once they appear to have left more than 14 days ago. Their accounts are locked 2 weeks after the final warning and deleted a week later

The warning messages, which are always sent to the Bristol email address, give links to information on how to proceed, including what to do if some error appears to have occurred. Messages to Honorary staff will also include a link to a list of divisional and faculty personnel contacts.

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Extension of accounts

If you receive a warning because your entry in the central database is wrong, you should immediately contact your HR contact or your departmental / school administrator. Correcting the database will automatically feed through into the appropriate extension to your account.

Whilst IT services are able to intervene and manually extend accounts, this is only done in emergencies, and with the proper authority. If there will be a gap between formal appointments, or courses, and the University requires you to retain access to your account, then you should be made an honorary member of staff for the intervening period

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Accounts affected

All accounts on central computing facilities ( with the exception of the Library Catalogue (Aleph) and Calendar entries) are deleted in the automatic deletion process. This includes email and related services such as Sympa mailing lists, shared mailboxes and SmartSieve settings, the UOB domain, interactive system and Blackboard accounts.

A list of shared mailbox accounts to be removed are included in the warning message.

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Note for students who are finishing their current course, but plan to start a new course at Bristol

The possibility that you will be returning does not automatically qualify you to retain your account - before you formally register for a new course you are not a member of the University. If you have a gmail for life account as a student, this will, of course remain. If your department / school requires you to retain access to computing facilities in the interim, they should make you an honorary member of staff.

Advice for staff and students in managing data before accounts are deleted

It can be surprising the amount of information which accumulates and it is important to set aside time, as much as a full working day,  before leaving the University to ensure that you sort out any computing accounts you have used or created so that information or ownership of accounts, databases or mailing lists are deleted or passed on to colleagues.

Some examples include:

  • Arranging for files that need to be kept to be transferred to the appropriate people.  (That includes files on desktop PC, servers, etc.)  The same applies for any emails.
  • Remove personal materials from mailboxes and folders.  Be aware that you may not take away any University owned information.
  • Unsubscribe from University mailing lists and if you are the owner of a mailing list please arrange for this to be handed over.
  • Transfer shared mailbox ownership and administrator privileges.
  • Your email address will cease to work after you leave.  You should consider letting people know about your new email address (or if you don't have one yet, then you could set up a free email account with a third party, such as Hotmail or Googlemail.  Graduating students can also apply for an Alumni address).  You can set up a message using SmartSieve which will automatically inform anyone who sends you an email before your leaving date, to let them know you are going and to give them your new contact details.  Please note that this setting will be deleted along with the email account.
  • How to set your computer to stop using the University web proxy.  

Alumni email account

When your UOB email account has been deleted you will be unable to send or receive email with Mulberry or webmail (SquirrelMail). It is not possible for us to re-direct email sent to your old Bristol email account to a new address. Remember to tell people who email you regularly that your account will be closing. You may also wish to contact any employers you may have applied for jobs with and supply an alternative email address.

The University offers an email forwarding service to new graduates. An @bristolalumni.org.uk address is ideal for use on your CV, job application or LinkedIn. This is a forwarding service, not a full email account (you can't store email there). You can sign up for an alumni address any time, even before you graduate. To get your address go to <http://www.bris.ac.uk/alumni/current-students/newgrads/> and register with the Alumni site. When asked for an activation code enter your student number, which is printed on your student card.

Please be aware that this email address will be completely separate from your existing Bristol email account and it will not be possible to transfer or re-direct email from one account to the other.

Students with a gmail account for life, username@my.bristol.ac.uk, will indeed retain that after they leave the University.

 

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