A Cornell staff member can now adopt an optional e-mail alias in addition to the default address based on NetID. The alias service has been available since last year for some users but became available to all staff Aug. 29.

Aliases are not available to students or alumni and never will be. According to Cornell Information Technologies (CIT), this is because, like NetIDs, aliases last forever, and the pool of possible aliases will quickly fill up.

The alias must be based on the person's name. For example, CIT suggests, the fictional Ezra Erwin could select the Cornell e-mail alias ezra.erwin@cornell.edu and could then send and receive e-mail using either that address or ewe1@cornell.edu. He could also select several variations using his first name or initial. To use any variation that does not match what is in the Cornell directory requires submitting a special request. This writer, for example, is listed in the directory as "William Steele," and would need to make a special request to get billsteele@cornell.edu. Special requests must still be based, somehow, on the person's name.

Once an alias is selected, you can change it once, and then it's locked in forever.

More information is available at http://www.cit.cornell.edu/email/alias/. To request an alias go to http://whoiam.cornell.edu.