Frequently Asked Questions
Internet Access and Email
Click to return to the Students FAQ page
What kind of access do I have to the Internet
How do I get an e-mail account?
How do I automatically forward my e-mail to a different account?
What kind of access do I have to the Internet?
The College makes available "unfiltered" access to the Internet. The individual is responsible for selecting, viewing, and utilizing appropriate resources and assumes full responsibility for each action. You may want to look at wcts.whitman.edu/policy to read the various policies and guidelines.
The campus is connect to the Internet via six T1 lines (3 for the campus network and 3 for the Residence Hall Network.) In addition to this "free" Internet connection from Residence Hall, the college has partnered with a local ISP to give an option for students in residence halls to purchase DSL level connection. See ResNet PLUS.
Return to top
If I have access to the Net from a non-Whitman Internet Service Provider (ISP), can I access all the material available at the library?
If you are a student, faculty, or staff member of Whitman, you have access to the protected databases (like Lexis/Nexus) from anywhere in the world. To gain access to these services from an ISP other that Whitman, you must use what's called a proxy server. A proxy server handles the requests for these services for you, acting as a middle man between you and the service. To learn more about our proxy server and to sign up after you arrive, go to proxy.whitman.edu.
If you are on the ResNet PLUS, you have access to all the protected Whitman resources (other than your personal network storage space--you need to use FTP to access this) as if you were on the campus network.
Return to top
How do I get an e-mail account?
All students are automatically given an email account. You just need to activate it.
When you arrive on campus, after you obtain your student ID number, go to one of the computer labs. You will be given more detailed instructions.
If you must know NOW how to activate your account, you can go to wcts.whitman.edu/docs/acctactivate.html
Return to top
How do I automatically forward my e-mail to a different account?
To forward incoming mail to a different account, do the following steps:
- Logon to students.whitman.edu
- At the "students%" prompt, type pico .qmail to create a file called .qmail in your home directory. *Note* The leading dot in ".qmail" is important.
- Type the e-mail address to which you would like to forward your email. For example, if you plan to check email from myOtherEmail@hotmail.com, then you should just enter this email address and preee Ctrl/X to exit the Pico editor.
Once you have created the .qmail file, use PINE to send a test e-mail message to yourself. The message should be automatically forwarded to the e-mail address listed in the .qmail file.
Return to top
For more information, please contact WCTS.