Separate Accounts for Students and Employees

Question

Why do individuals need different accounts for their student and employee roles?


Answer

The use of separate email accounts for student and employee roles is a deliberate and important practice that supports:

1. Role Separation and Security

Each role—student and employee—comes with different responsibilities, access levels, and data privacy requirements. By separating accounts:

  • Student accounts are used for academic communication, course access (e.g., D2L Brightspace), and student services.
  • Employee accounts are used for job-related tasks, internal communications, and access to administrative systems (e.g., HR, payroll, department resources).

This separation ensures that sensitive employee data and systems are not inadvertently accessed or compromised through student-related activities.

2. Account Management and Compliance

In cases where an individual's employment status changes (e.g., termination, leave of absence, or security review), IT staff may need to suspend or deactivate the employee account. Having a separate student account ensures that:

  • The individual's academic access remains uninterrupted.
  • The university remains compliant with data protection policies and Minnesota State system security standards.

3. System Functionality and Permissions

Many university systems (such as Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams) assign permissions and access based on account type. Separate accounts help:

  • Prevent conflicts in system permissions.
  • Ensure that email routing, calendar invites, and file access are handled correctly based on the user’s current role.

4. Directory and Communication Clarity

Both student and employee email addresses appear in the Global Address Book (GAL) in Microsoft Outlook. This helps faculty, staff, and students:

  • Identify the correct contact method based on the context (e.g., reaching out to someone as a student vs. as a staff member).
  • Avoid confusion when communicating across departments or roles.

 

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