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Using the ASU Electronic Post Office

Why Use the ASU Electronic Post Office (EPO)?

Every ASU retiree is entitled to use certain ASU technology services. Perhaps the most useful of these for most people is your ASU e-mail address (first.last@asu.edu) and the associated ASU Electronic Post Office (EPO). Here's why:

  • The address retains your identity with ASU. You can be sure that ASU wants you to use an @asu.edu address, because that keeps you connected, and therefore more likely to donate time and resources.
  • Once you have notified everyone to use your ASU e-mail address, you won't ever have to do that again, even if you change the company you use for connecting to the Internet (your ISP, or Internet Service Provider) or if you change the e-mail product you use. Your ASU address stays constant, and is permanently yours. You need only change your Destination Address at ASU (see below), and that will take care of everything!
  • You will be listed in ASU's on-line directory, so that your current and former ASU colleagues can find you easily.
  • There is an automatic spam filter applied to mail sent to your ASU address (but don't expect this to remove all of the spam mail you receive!);
  • You can use your ASU address with your existing e-mail service.

How the ASU Electronic Post Office Works

The ASU Electronic Post Office is the service that makes this work. It is very like your local U.S. Post Office, in that your mail is first delivered there, and from there to you. Here is a diagram of the process:

Diagram of ASU Electronic Post Office Use

As you can see from this diagram, e-mail messages sent to you are not stored on an ASU server. Instead, the messages are sent to a server managed by your Internet Service Provider, and from there to you. So you don't have to worry that your personal e-mail is using ASU resources that are meant for active faculty, staff, and students.

How to Use the ASU Electronic Post Office

To set up and use your ASU e-mail address you need to have:

  • An active e-mail address and access to the Internet. This means you have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and an e-mail service (e.g., GMail, Hotmail, provided by your ISP, or ASU Outlook/Exchange)
  • An Internet browser (such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari, or Mozilla Firefox);
  • An active ASURITE UserID and password. Steps needed to obtain this, if you don't already have it:
    1. Request an ASURITE UserID . After you have responded to questions about whether you are a current or former student or employee, you will be asked to provide your Social Security Number or your ASU ID or your Affiliate ID. If you have a retiree Sun Card, it has your ASU ID and your Affiliate ID printed on the front (ASU ID first). If you don't have a retiree Sun Card, then of course you can supply your Social Security Number.
    2. If the ASURITE request system does not recognize you, you may need to call the HR Benefits Office at 480-965-2701 and ask to have them update your status in the Affiliate database (they'll know what this is even if you don't).
    3. If you have problems with obtaining your ASURITE UserID and password, or if you have a UserID but don't remember your password, you can contact the ASU Computer Accounts Office at 480-965-1211 for assistance.

When you have the information in hand, simply follow ASU's directions for using the Electronic Post Office (EPO).

Notes on E-mail and on Spam

  1. If you have an ASU Outlook/Exchange account in addition to an e-mail account with your private ISP provider, you may continue to get mail from other ASU Outlook/Exchange users that is not forwarded to your Destination Address. This is because Outlook/Exchange is an internal system that does not use the ASU EPO.
  2. ASU has lots of helpful information on Spam (mass e-mails). One way to deal with spam is to create e-mail aliases that you use for buying on-line, etc., and then closing these aliases down if you start getting lots of spam. The ASU Electronic Post Office allows you to create e-mail aliases, and so do most other e-mail services.
  3. If you do a lot of buying on the Internet, you may not want to use your ASU e-mail address for that. You can use your "real" (Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) e-mail address for such things and your ASU e-mail address for correspondence. All of your e-mail will come to your single mailbox, but you are keeping your business mail away from ASU and at an address that you can change without affecting your correspondents.