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Read on for FAQs -- Frequently Asked Questions, and their answers. Click on the question to skip to the answer below. Got a question you don't see on this list? Click here to submit a question.
General Questions | E-mail Forwarding
Q. How much does it cost to join the Alumni Association and receive Alumni News?
Q. As an alumni, how can I use the ASI Recreation Center?
Q. When is Homecoming?
Q. When is Open House/Poly Royal?
Q. Does the Alumni Office sell Cal Poly sportswear and other alumni items?
Q. Can you help me try to get in touch with my fraternity/sorority?
Q. I received the latest issue of the alumni magazine and noticed that the class notes section was not included, why not?
Q. Who do I contact to notify the University of a family member's death?
Q. How do I update my information with the University?
Q. How can I get a copy of my diploma?
Q. How can I get a copy of my transcripts?
Q. How can I contact another alumnus/na?
Q. How do I add/remove my name from your mailing list?
Q. How do I remove my e-mail from the Alumni E-mail distribution lists?
Q. How do I become a member of the Alumni Association?
Q. If my membership has lapsed, is it considered a renewal or new membership?
Q. Where can I find out about insurance coverage?
Q. When is commencement?
Q. How do I get tickets to Athletic events?
Q. How can I take an online tour of Cal Poly?
Q. How do I make a donation to Cal Poly?
Q. What is free Lifetime E-mail Forwarding?
Q. What is a Lifetime E-mail Forwarding address?
Q. Will my E-mail Forwarding account replace my existing e-mail account?
Q. How do I signup for a Lifetime E-mail Forwarding address?
Q. What is my default username and password?
Q. What if my username and password don't work?
Q. Can I change my default username or password?
Q. Are there restrictions on my password?
Q. What if I use an older browser that doesn't support SSL encryption?
Q. Can I choose my own E-mail Forwarding address?
Q. Will my biographical information be sent to Alumni Records?
Q. What if I forgot my user name or password?
Q. Can I change my e-mail forwarding address?
Q. Will my information be released to anyone?
Q. What information is displayed in the online directory?
Q. What if I do NOT want to be displayed in the online directory?
Q. What if I do NOT want to receive e-mail from Cal Poly?
Q. How can I change my preferred e-mail address?
Q. Can I change information in the online directory?
Q. Can I search the online directory for fellow alumni?
Q. Who should I contact if I am having trouble with my account?
Answers
A. If you graduated in the last 10 years, it's $35 to join as an annual member. Otherwise the regular membership price is $45. Click here to see the entire rate schedule including Life Membership rates. If you are a member of the Alumni Association and do not receive your copy of the Alumni News, please update your address by clicking on the above link in the gold bar.
A. Active members of the Alumni Association can join the ASI Recreation Center. The Rec Center charges a quarterly fee. You can join the Alumni Association online or by calling (888) CAL-POLY (225-7659).
A. Homecoming is usually held at the end of October or beginning of November of each year. You can visit the Web site at www.homecoming.calpoly.edu for more information or call the Alumni Office at (805) 756-ALUM (756-2586).
A. Open House is always the third week of April, unless the date falls on a holiday weekend. To confirm the date please refer to their web site at www.orientation.calpoly.edu/openhouse or call the Open House Office at
(805) 756-7576.
A. The Alumni Association currently does not sell these items, but you can buy sportswear and other materials at El Corral Bookstore. The bookstore has two locations in San Luis Obispo to serve you best. Contact them at (800) 367-0771 or tkaiser@calpoly.edu, or visit the store's Web site www.elcorralbookstore.com.
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A. Eddie Dominguez, Cal Poly’s Greek Life Coordinator, is the best person to help you with that. He can be reached at edomingu@calpoly.edu or (805) 756-5838.
A. Because of space constraints, we have moved Class Notes and In Memoriam to our PolyLink website. This allows us to post a greater number of class notes in a timelier manner. If you would like to submit a Class Note, please login to PolyLink at www.calpolylink.com.
A. Submit the information including the full name of deceased, class year and college, date of death and city of last residence. Forward the information to alumni@calpoly.edu.
A. If you have recently changed your home postal/e-mail address, your business postal/e-mail address, telephone numbers, marital status or other information; you may update your information by clicking on the “Update Your Contact Info ” button in the gold bar above.
A. Contact the El Corral Bookstore at (800) 367-0771 for re-ordering diplomas.
A. The Office of Academic Records can help you with that. Please see their Web site at www.ess.calpoly.edu/_records/stu_info/trans_orders.htm.
A. The easiest way for you to locate another alum is to use the Alumni Locator Service provided by the Alumni Association, or you may also send an e-mail to alumni@calpoly.edu . Please include as much information as possible about the person so that we will have the best chance of locating them (i.e. first, middle, last name; major; class year, etc). Because of the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and California Information Practices Act, we cannot release information directly. So please include your contact information and we will forward it to that person so they can contact you.
A. Please send your request to alumni@calpoly.edu and provide your current mailing and contact information. In the e-mail, please specify what types of mailings you would no longer like to receive.
A. Complete our online form and follow the instructions.
A. You can join the Alumni Association online by clicking the above link “Join Online! ” in the gold bar. You may also come into the Alumni Office and activate your membership, or call (888) CAL-POLY (225-7659).
A. If your membership has lapsed for more than two years and you want to re-join, it will be considered a new membership.
A. The Cal Poly Alumni Association is committed to serving the welfare and benefit of its graduates. In this regard, we are pleased to inform you about the benefit programs administered by the Alumni Insurance Services of Marsh Affinity. For specific information, visit our Affinity Partners web page.
A. Please refer to the Commencement Web site at commencement.calpoly.edu for the exact date, times and college ceremonies.
A. Go to www.gopoly.com/index.php?p=tickets to purchase tickets online. You can also call 805-756-5806.
A. Go to www.ess.calpoly.edu/_admiss/viewbook/ to take an online tour.
A. The university is pleased to offer an online secured site for making donations. You can visit the site at www.giving.calpoly.edu. If you would like to make a donation in another form, please visit the “Ways to Give” site.
A. It’s a free e-mail forwarding account that you can keep forever. It will look like yourname@alumni.calpoly.edu. Any e-mail that is sent to this address will automatically forward to any receiving account you specify. If you ever need to change your e-mail account, simply log into the system and set the new account; your e-mail will instantly forward to the new receiving account. For more information, click the “Get Free E-mail Forwarding” link above in the gold bar.
A. A lifetime e-mail forwarding address is a service exclusively offered to Cal Poly alumni by the Cal Poly Alumni Association. Your username@alumni.calpoly.edu account is simply a "reflector" account which forwards e-mail to your preferred address. Simply share your e-mail forwarding address with your friends and family, and you'll stay in touch forever.
A. No. Your e-mail forwarding account is simply a "reflector" which forwards e-mail sent to your e-mail forwarding address (username@alumni.calpoly.edu) to your preferred e-mail address. You still need Internet access and an e-mail provider. Once you graduate, your Central Unix and OpenMail accounts will be purged within one quarter from when your degree is posted. You must get another e-mail provider after you graduate.
A. To create an account, follow these steps:
- Go to Email Forwarding
- Click on "Sign Up"
- Enter your username and password
- Complete the New Account Request Form and click "Send Form"
A. Yes. When you complete the New Account Request Form, you have the option of entering 4 choices for a username in order of preference. All username selections will be screened for appropriate language, so there is a chance that you might not get your choice. There is also a possibility that your choices have already been used by another user. If all of your choices are taken, we'll contact you for additional choices.
A. Yes. Once you complete the New Account Request Form, your information will be sent to Advancement Services and they will update your alumni records. For further biographical updates, contact Advancement Services directly at (805)756-1555 or e-mail to alumni-info@calpoly.edu.
A. If you forgot your username or password, we can reset your password and send you an automated response with your login information. Simply, fill out our login request form and provide us with your e-mail forwarding address. The automated response will be sent to your e-mail forwarding address.
A. Yes. If you would like to change your e-mail forwarding address, send e-mail to webmaster@alumni.calpoly.edu or alumni@calpoly.edu.
A. Your biographical information is sent to Advancement Services in order to update your official alumni records. Your biographical information is considered CONFIDENTIAL and will not be released. However, if you choose to be included in the online directory, some data will be available to other people searching the online directory.
A. The online directory contains your name, maiden name, degree information (major, department, college, year, and degree) and your e-mail forwarding address.
A. If you prefer to be excluded from the online directory, you can change your preferences by following these steps:
- Go to Email Forwarding
- Enter your username and password
- Click on "Update account"
- Modify your information and click "Update"
- Verify your information and click "Verified"
A. If you prefer to be excluded from e-mail sent from Cal Poly, you have several options:
- Include me in e-mail's from Cal Poly.
- Include me in e-mail's from my College/Program ONLY.
- Include me in e-mail's from other Cal Poly programs ONLY. (ie: Athletics, Library, etc.)
- Include me in e-mail's from the Cal Poly Alumni Association. (ie: chapter events, memberships, etc.)
- Include me in e-mail's from any of the above areas.
You can change your preferences by following these steps:
- Go to Email Forwarding
- Enter your username and password
- Click on "Update account"
- Modify your information and click "Update"
- Verify your information and click "Verified"
A. To change your preferred e-mail address online, follow these steps:
- Go to Email Forwarding
- Enter your username and password
- Click on "Update account"
- Modify your information and click "Update"
- Verify your information and click "Verified"
A. Yes. Some information in the online directory is changeable. To change your online directory information, follow these steps:
- Go to Email Forwarding
- Enter your username and password
- Click on "Update account"
- Modify your information and click "Update"
- Verify your information and click "Verified"
A. Yes. You can search the online directory for fellow alumni who are also participating in the Cal Poly Alumni Network. To search the online directory, follow these steps:
- Go to Email Forwarding
- Enter your username and password
- Click on "Search the online directory"
- Enter your search criteria and click "Submit Query"
A. If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your account, send e-mail to webmaster@alumni.calpoly.edu or alumni@calpoly.edu.
A. We have assigned your username and password a default value. Your username is your social security number. Your password is uppercase first name initial, lowercase last name initial, and your birth date (mmddyyyy). Example: Mr08051970.
A. There might be several reasons why your default username and password don't work:
Send an e-mail to webmaster@alumni.calpoly.edu or alumni@calpoly.edu.
- Alumni Records does not have your correct social security number
- Alumni Records uses your legal name as stored in the official academic records and you are using a nickname
- Your browser does not support SSL encryption technology
A. Yes. To change your default username or password, follow these steps:
- Go to Email Forwarding
- Click "Change E-mail Forwarding Username and Password" link
- Enter your username and password
- Complete the Account Modification Form and click "Update"
- Close all browser windows and login again
A. Yes. Your password must meet the following rules:
- Must be between 5 and 10 characters
- Must contain at least one lowercase letter
- Must contain at least one uppercase letter
- Must contain at least one number
A. Yes. Some information in the online directory is changeable. To change your online directory information, follow these steps:
- Go to Email Forwarding
- Click Login button
- Enter your username and password
- Click on "Update Account"
- Modify your information and click "Update"
- Verify your information and click "Verified"
A. We are aware that browsers Netscape 4.05 (or earlier) or Internet Explorer 4.01 (or earlier) do not support our current security model using SSL encryption technology. To upgrade your browser, follow these links:
Netscape (Please download the latest version of Mozilla Firefox):
www.getfirefox.com
Internet Explorer:
www.microsoft.com
If you are unable to sign-up through our online registration form, you may call the Cal Poly Alumni Association at (888) CAL-POLY (225-7659) or (805) SLO-ALUM (756-2586) directly and register via the telephone.