Just as FAU attempts to protect FAU e-mail users from spam, so do the major ISPs (Internet Service Providers), such as AOL, Yahoo!, Gmail, and Hotmail. Many people in the FAU community who have forwarded their FAU e-mail to a personal e-mail account have noticed that they are not receiving all of the FAU mail or that it is delayed. This situation occurs because AOL, Yahoo!, Gmail, and Hotmail consider messages sent to a large number of their users from a single e-mail address/site (such as fau.edu) are likely to be spam and thus they block or delay the message.

FAU has discussed the problem at length with ISP administrators, such as AOL, but they are not willing to change procedures. Other universities are facing the same problem and have therefore recommended that their faculty, staff, and students not forward their university e-mail to a personal e-mail account because of the potential for the mail to be blocked. IRM also recommends that you not forward your FAU e-mail to such accounts. FAU is now using e-mail for much of its communication – student bills, financial aid disbursements, emergency notices. FAU can only control mail while it’s on our campus or servers. If your mail is forwarded to a non-FAU account and doesn’t arrive, its ability to troubleshoot is extremely limited.

FAU is now using e-mail for much of its communication, such as student bills, financial aid disbursements, and emergency notices. If you forward your FAU mail to a personal account and do not receive it, IRM cannot track the message once it has left the FAU server and cannot help you get the mail.

To ensure that you receive your FAU e-mail, IRM recommends that you not forward it to any personal e-mail account, all of which are using similar spam-blocking procedures.