Alumni appeals for archive option, longer transition
By Alexia Hernandez
Former students and alumni urged the Silliman University (SU) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Division to reconsider its decision to terminate their institutional email accounts.
In an emailed memorandum dated April 8, the ICT Division noted that students who graduated or left the university will be given a grace period of 30 days to secure their Google Drive files and other documents.
“All files associated with your SU Mail account (emails, Drive, etc.) will be automatically deleted after the said retention period. Recovery will no longer be possible after deletion,” the memorandum wrote.
Faculty and staff who resign or retire are also given 90 days or at least 3 months of access before termination.
Announcement draws flak
Following the announcement, some Sillimanians took their frustration and concerns online, citing that they are still relying on their SU email since they graduated.
Joshuel Kyle, an alumnus who has been using his SU email since 2012, posted on Facebook that the announcement was “disheartening.”
“It honestly breaks my heart to read this update. It’s been 13 years! From being a student to now being a teacher, this email has been a constant,” he shared.
Meanwhile, in an interview with third-year business and administration student, Alexis Tam stressed that the SU mail had been part of her academic life starting her junior high years.
“I was also heavily dependent on using Google Drive and Google Docs to make my school papers, and so I have so many memories and two years’ worth of files and knowledge stored in my drive,” she said.
Appeal of alumni
In a public comment, SU alumnus John Diaz Rey Pardillo expressed his frustration, calling the university to consider options such as an archive feature or longer transition periods.
“Mine holds years of academic work, personal documents, and memories tied to my journey at Silliman. Deleting that without offering a reasonable transition or alternative feels careless, and honestly, hurtful,” Pardillo explained.
He added that the account holds more than files as it symbolizes their “legacy and memories as Sillimanians.”
Moreover, Tam noted that while she understands the university’s need to manage resources and data privacy, she finds the 30-day retention period “too short.”
“Whether the individual has been in SU for 2 or 10 years, there is so much data and files that I believe the person needs to sort out and save before their mail is lost forever.”
She also emphasized that the lack of prior warnings and the abruptness of the policy’s implementation “left students and alumni unprepared.”
“It shows a lack of strategic planning for the future,” she said. “There was also no prior announcement made of the possibility of this policy ever existing.”
As of writing, the SU ICT Division has yet to respond to the comments and concerns raised by students and alumni.
