Default "Dotted" Email Address
OU IT assigns all students, faculty, and staff an @OU.edu e-mail address and Microsoft 365 mailbox upon creation of the their OUNet Account. This email address can also act as your log in username for several OU sites and applications.
The default e-mail address is based on your name and is commonly referred to as a "dotted" email address. A default dotted email address will typically take the format:
FirstName.MiddleInitial.LastName-1@ou.edu (example: Susan.G.Adhikari-1@ou.edu)
If a student/employee submits a legal name change request to OU, the user's dotted email address will change automatically as a result.
In addition to the dotted email address, a secondary "alias" email address can be created. An email "alias" is selected by the account holder and effectively replaces the original default dotted email address. For example, instead of "Susan.G.Adhikari-1@ou.edu", an alias might be set to "s.adhikari@ou.edu" or "soonerfan1997@ou.edu".
Legal name changes (initiated by the user or potentially by certain campus offices) will impact a user's default dotted email address. The best way to avoid having an unplanned change to their email address is to set an email alias early on during their time at OU.
Changing your Email Address by Setting an Email Alias
OU email account holders have the ability to add an alias to their account within one.ou.edu. Once set, the alias functions as a primary email address for their account. Once the alias is set one.ou.edu and fully syncs, the following changes will occur:
- The username used to log in to Microsoft services (including Outlook) will be the new alias.
- All email sent from the user's mailbox will appear to come from the user's alias.
- Email sent to the alias will be ingested into the mailbox.
- Email sent to the account's current default dotted email will be ingested into the mailbox.
- If a new alias is being set to replace a previous one, any email sent to the old alias will be undeliverable. OU IT cannot forward any email sent to an email alias when the alias was not active, and accounts may only have one alias set at a time.
When choosing to set an email alias, please note that it can take up to 24 hours for the new email alias to properly sync across all systems. Once set (or changed) within one.ou.edu, you maybe unable to log into your mailbox for up to 24 hours. You will know that the change has synced when you successfully log into your mailbox using the new alias that has been set. For additional information on this potential issue, please see this article.
Please note that OU account holders may only have one valid email alias. If one changes their alias, mail sent to the previous alias will not be forwarded or delivered to their mailbox.
Name Change Side Effects
Dotted email addresses utilize a user's legal, not preferred name. Legal name changes processed through Academic Records or Payroll & Employee Services will automatically change an individual's dotted email address. If your default dotted email changes as a result of a name change, mail sent to the previous dotted name will no longer be delivered to your mailbox. If an alias has been set, it may not be apparent that a change has occurred to the default dotted address. Setting an email alias and distributing that to your contacts is the best way to avoid a service disruption of this kind.
If one's dotted email address suddenly changes without a legal name change being initiated by the account holder, it is likely due to:
- A new employee record (such as a current student being hired at OU).
- A new academic record (such as a current employee who starts taking courses).
- A new academic application was processed (such as a current student with an existing academic record applying for grad school).
In these cases, the default dotted address may change because different forms of ID were used for school vs employment, and one ID does not have the same exact name as the one initially used (additional surnames, additional middle names, no middle name, etc.). If this occurs, the newest office to make the change might be able to revert the change if provided appropriate legal documentation. Additionally, a user may choose to set an email alias which will bypass the need to use the new default dotted email.