- Get help
- Services
- Announcements & alerts
- Service outages
- Security alerts
- Major initiatives
- Reintroducing IT ServiceHub: Your One-Stop IT Support Platform
- Supporting SFU's Digital Transformation with Exchange Online
- Important changes to SFU email practices
- Transforming the SFU experience through digital improvements - Key Initiatives in Progress
- Jovanna Sauro wins SFU Personal Achievement Award
- Improve your cellular coverage by enabling WiFi Calling
- New committee guides transformative changes at SFU
- Expanded identity options for students within SFU applications
- SFU works toward keeping devices out of landfills
- A journey to improved WiFi
- Help us, help you, connect to better WiFi
- IT Services' new support system: ServiceHub
- Information Security Essential Courses
- IT Services leadership announcement
- University Wide Password Change Initiative
- April 2021 technical issue
- Telephone System Core Infrastructure Upgrade
- Decommissioning fraser.sfu.ca
- About
- Information security
UPDATE: The new deadline for changing SFU's email forwarding and maillist protocols, due to Google and Yahoo's guidelines, is June 1. Updates related to email forwarding outages, if any, will be posted on the IT Service Outage page. |
Important Changes to SFU Email Practices
The new deadline for changing SFU's email forwarding and maillist protocols, due to Google and Yahoo's guidelines, is June 1.
Since our last update, Google has shared their plan for the changes, including timelines and plans for gradual enforcement.
- February 1, 2024 – Google began sending error messages for non-compliant emails.
- April 1, 2024 – Google began rejecting a percentage of non-compliant emails.
- June 1, 2024 – Google will reject all non-compliant emails and the “unsubscribe” option will be required for all mass emails.
During this extension of time, we’re:
- Implementing a new service called Simplelists as a way to create group email lists for business, teaching and research-critical needs.
- Migrating SFU Mail accounts to Exchange Online starting in May to allow the forwarding of SFU emails to non-SFU addresses.
- Ensuring there’s an ‘unsubscribe’ option in all bulk emails sent to non-SFU addresses by June.
Stay tuned for more updates as we work towards these new timelines.
Additional information shared with students, alumni and retirees:
Students have received similar communication regarding these changes, and they also need to access SFU Mail using their Computing ID and password to receive important emails.
As a result of the Google and Yahoo extensions, for the time being, AEF will continue to forward emails as usual.
Retirees can continue to access their email via mail.sfu.ca.
To learn more about these changes, please refer to the FAQs below.
To learn more about Simplelists, please click here.
Email Practice Changes - Frequently Asked Questions
What is happening with SFU’s email practices?
SFU’s current email practices do not comply with Google and Yahoo’s new email guidelines and as a result, SFU is:
- Introducing Simplelists to replace SFU Maillist for users to continue sending communication to groups containing external email addresses.
- Migrating SFU Mail accounts to Exchange Online starting in May to allow the forwarding of SFU emails to non-SFU addresses.
- Ensuring that all bulk email sent to external accounts have the unsubscribe option required by the guidelines in place.
Why are changes to SFU's email practices necessary?
Google and Yahoo announced changes in February 2024 to enhance security and help them combat spam and phishing attacks. Adapting SFU's email practices is crucial as we continue sending emails to Google and Yahoo users, including prospective students.
This change is necessary for us to comply with new industry standards, enhance email security, and to ensure that our university messaging continues to reach the email inboxes of our various audiences.
Who is being affected?
Faculty, staff, students, retirees using SFU Maillist to send email to external email accounts.
Faculty, staff, students who are currently forwarding their SFU email to external email accounts.
Alumni using the Alumni Email Forwarding Service.
When will these changes take effect?
Starting June 1, Google will reject all non-compliant emails and the “unsubscribe” option will be required for all mass emails.
What considerations have been taken into account?
Since the initial announcement by Google and Yahoo, IT Services has been looking at potential alternatives to comply with their new requirements. After review by researchers and IT leaders across the university, Simplelists emerged as the recommended solution.
Simplelists is for users who send communications to groups containing internal and external email addresses. For those communicating only within the SFU community, the existing SFU Maillist service will continue to serve their needs without any interruptions.
Please request access via simplelists-help@sfu.ca if you wish to create and manage email lists using Simplelists. You can receive service updates as this service evolves by visiting https://lists.sfu.ca and subscribing to the "simplelists-service-updates" list.
What risks are associated with these changes?
If you use SFU Maillist to communicate with external recipients, we recommend that you move to Simplelists as soon as possible. Those who are still using SFU Maillist for SFU and non-SFU emails may still pose a risk of non-compliance, potentially leading to disruptions in email delivery or important messages being flagged as spam or phishing attempts.
It is recommended to remind your maillist recipients to check their spam folder if SFU emails aren’t being received. If you currently use the Alumni Email Forwarding Service, there is still a possibility that you may see interruptions in service due to the external regulations. If an outage or stoppage in email forwarding occurs, this news will be posted on our IT Service Outage page.
I am currently forwarding my email to an external email client. Are there any alternatives?
We will be migrating SFU Mail accounts to Exchange Online starting in May to allow the forwarding of SFU emails to non-SFU addresses.
Alumni
How will these changes affect my ability to continue using the Alumni Email Forwarding service?
At this time email forwarding and AEF is not recommended and may cause interruptions in service due to the external regulations.
Maillist
What alternatives are there if I must email external clients?
We are pleased to share that Simplelists, a maillist alternative, is now available to support our community's business, teaching, and research-critical needs. Simplelists is for users who currently send communications to groups containing internal and external email addresses. If you use maillists to communicate with external recipients, we recommend that you move to Simplelists as soon as possible.
Please request access via simplelists-help@sfu.ca if you wish to create a list. You can receive service updates as this service evolves by visiting lists.sfu.ca and subscribing to the "simplelists-service-updates" list.
Can I use the new service, Simplelists, for marketing communications?
For marketing-related bulk emails, we recommend using Campaigner. For further information on Campaigner, please contact the Marketing & Communications team.
As a maillist owner and manager, what do I have to do to prepare for this?
It is recommended to remind your maillist recipients to check their spam folder if SFU emails aren’t being received.
If you use maillists to communicate with external recipients, we recommend that you move to Simplelists as soon as possible.
For those communicating only within the SFU community, the existing SFU Maillist service will continue to serve their needs without any interruptions.
Which email addresses can receive my messages sent to an SFU Maillist?
Those communicating only within the SFU community, can continue using the existing SFU Maillist service for now. If you use maillists to communicate with external recipients, we recommend that you move to Simplelists as soon as possible.