General Information
ECU uses Microsoft Exchange for its e-mail system. E-mail can be accessed at various labs on campus. It can also be accessed using a web browser.
Student e-mail accounts are created automatically. Account information is taken from records supplied by the Registrar. If this information is incorrect, you will need to correct it at the Registrar’s office.
For problems with your e-mail account, contact the IT Help Desk at 252-328-9866. Toll-free access is available to Distance Education students at 1-800-340-7081. You can also submit questions, report problems and find answers to basic questions at help.ecu.edu.
Account Information
Your Pirate-ID (a.k.a. "e-mail userid") is made up of your initials and your birthdate. An example follows.
Name: Petey T. Pirate
Birth Date: 03/08/19??
PirateID: ptp0308
If your initials and birth date form a userid already in use, a "d" and a digit will be added to the userid (example: ptp0308d1). Your e-mail userid can be looked up by going to the ECU homepage and clicking on the E-mail/Phone link.
Your Internet e-mail address is in the following form: userid@ecu.edu. Using the example above, Petey's Internet e-mail address would be: ptp0308@ecu.edu.
Account Policies and Restrictions
The e-mail system places limitations on how much mail you can store in your mailbox on the server. Any mail in folders under "Mailbox - your name" is located on the server. The storage limit is 50 megabytes for students. Once your mailbox has reached a size of 45, you will get an automated warning from the System Administrator. In addition, once the size exceeds 50MB, you will not be able to send mail. You will, however, still be able to receive mail until your mailbox size exceeds 75 MB.
ECU has an automated e-mail purge policy. The mailbox folders effected (and the associated folder age limits) are: Inbox (180 days), Sent Items (180 days) and Deleted Items (7 days). Items in these folders will be deleted automatically if older than the age limits. Items can be moved to other folders or archived for retrieval later.
The university has adapted a password expiration policy to meet state audit requirements. Your e-mail password expires every ninety (90) days. Automatic notification will be sent to users via e-mail 15, 5, 2, and 1 days prior to expiration. The notice sent will outline the procedures for changing your password.
ECU has a policy that does not allow the sending of SPAM (junk) e-mail such as chain letters. The University considers any violation of this policy “misconduct”. All policies can be viewed at www.ecu.edu/itcs/policiesforms.
Account Deactivation
At the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters, e-mail accounts of students not enrolled are deactivated so the account cannot be used. If the account was deactivated previously, it is deleted.
If your account has been deactivated, you can contact the IT Help Desk to request a temporary reactivation for a period of up to 2 weeks. The account will re-deactivated upon the temporary account expiration.
