40-80% of your email is likely transitory. Transitory emails could look like newsletters, mailing lists, meeting invites, and responses. Email conversations have a lot of redundancy – all those copies in the threads that get forwarded on over and over.

Outlook actually has a tool to help with that! Did you know that there is a “Clean Up” tool in the ribbon:

Click here to open your options – you can clean up a folder, folder and subfolders, or just clean up a long conversation!

The Outlook tool evaluates the contents of emails in a conversation thread, and if the earlier message is found in its entirety in a later email, it will delete the redundant, transitory emails – just make sure to configure your settings first.

It works in the background while you continue your work. It can eliminate a few hundred redundant emails in a folder in just a few seconds!

For more information on this tool, and some other ideas to scale back your email footprint, check out the resources on the Records and Information Management Intranet Site (UM log in required).

February Graduation

There is no convocation ceremony in February, however, February 2024 graduates are invited to participate in the Spring 2024 Convocation. More information will follow this spring.

35^th Annual Traditional Graduation Pow Wow

Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) students graduating in February 2024 are invited to participate in the 35^th Annual Traditional Graduation Pow Wow on May 4, 2024.

Learn more about the Annual Traditional Graduation Pow Wow, including FAQ’s.

Questions? Email Carla.Loewen@umanitoba.ca.

Parchment Delivery

Parchments will be sent through regular mail (Canada Post) to the graduates’ addresses as listed in Aurora. Parchments are sent two weeks after the graduation date, which is February 7, 2024.

For instructions on how to update contact information in Aurora, please visit our page on Updating Personal Information.

Other ways to receive your Parchment

1. Parchment pick-up:
   • Students have the option to pick up their parchment or have someone else collect it on their behalf, please submit a completed Parchment Delivery Request Form to   Convocation@umanitoba.ca.
   • The deadline to submit the Parchment Delivery form is Wednesday, January 31, 2024.
   • Parchments will be available for pick-up after February 26, 2024.
2. Pre-arranged request for courier or express mail:
   • Students are welcome to provide us with a pre-paid courier or express mail envelope along with detailed mailing instructions using the Parchment Delivery Request Form.
   • The University of Manitoba will hold unclaimed parchments for a maximum of 12 months after graduation, including those returned to us as undeliverable. We will destroy any unclaimed parchments after 12 months.
   • If a student does not receive their parchment, it is their responsibility to follow up with the Registrar’s Office within 12 months. Any requests for a parchment after this time will be processed as a Request for Replacement Parchment, at the cost of $79.25 (subject to change).

Eligibility to Graduate Letters

A Confirmation of Eligibility to Graduate letter can be ordered for students who have declared their intent to graduate but have not yet graduated.

This document includes the student’s full name, the degree they are expecting to receive and the date of their expected graduation.

This document is $12.50 and may take a minimum of two weeks to process. The fee is subject to change.

How to request Eligibility to Graduate Letters.

Confirmation of Degree Awarded Letters

Confirmation of Degree Awarded letters can only be ordered for graduates of the University of Manitoba. This document can be used for visa permits, post-docs, and convocation invitation letters, for February graduates. This document includes the student’s full name, the degree conferred, and the date of graduation.

This document is $12.50 and may take up to ten business days. The fee is subject to change.

Students who have declared graduation but have not yet graduated will need an Eligibility to Graduate letter.

How to request Confirmation of Degree Awarded.

Accounts and AURORA ACCESS

Even after graduation, students will always have access to their Aurora account. If locked out of Aurora, please contact the Registrar’s Office to regain access.

Most document orders need to be made through Aurora.

Email account:

As a graduate of the University of Manitoba, Microsoft Office 365 (M365) OneDrive access will be discontinued 120 days after the end of the last class you were registered in. Email accounts will transition to an email-only alumni account. All other tools such as Office and OneDrive access will be discontinued.

Students will have 120 days to access and download any files and folders they want to save. Once OneDrive access has been deactivated, the remaining data within OneDrive will be removed, and UM will not be able to recover it.

We recommend copying any important information from OneDrive. Visit our Microsoft 365 page for instructions to download OneDrive files.

To ensure email access continues after graduation, students are required to change their password and reaccept the Computer Accounts – Usage Agreement every 12 months. If this agreement is not reaccepted every 12 months, the email account will also be deleted.

Questions regarding email accounts and OneDrive should be addressed to the IST Service Desk.

Technology makes manipulation through phishing easy. Setting up and operating a phishing attack is fast, inexpensive and low risk: any cybercriminal with an email address can launch one.

According to Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, the education sector saw a rise in social engineering–based attacks. Students, staff, and faculty all lose when personal data and research are disclosed to unauthorized parties.

Phishing played a part in more than 40 per cent of these breaches. Knowing what you’re up against can help you be more secure in your online life. 

Here are the six signs of a suspicious email:

1. Stranger danger: A sender address that does not match the sender name
2. No John Hancock: A signature that is overly generic
3. Hover to discover: Mouse over links in email to reveal their true URL. If the name and the URL do not match, delete the email.
4. Do not open unexpected attachments: They are a cybercriminal’s #1 choice for spreading malicious software.
5. Trust your instincts: Does that email feel ‘off’ in some way? It probably is. Forward it to spam[at]umanitoba[dot]ca to confirm the message.
6. Is it urgent? Slow down. An “IMPORTANT MESSAGE” may be a phishing attempt. Cybercriminals want you to do what you’re told, when you’re told. Think before you click.

If an email you’ve received contains two or more of the indicators listed above, delete it or forward the message to spam[at]umanitoba[dot]ca.

For more information about phishing attacks, visit the Information Security and Compliance web page at http://umanitoba.ca/computing/ist/security/phishing.html.

Our university has partnered with Microsoft to provide an exciting new benefit that aims to go a long way in achieving that goal. We are now offering Office to every one of our students for free. This automatically updatable, subscription-based software ensures our students always have the latest version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and more for as long as they’re a student here and the program continues.

• Install on up to 5 compatible PCs and Macs, plus 5 tablets including iPad/iPhone, Android and Windows Phone
• Use with OneDrive (1 TB) for automatic device syncing
• Gain valuable skills on the world’s most popular document software
• Use the same programs as the faculty to ensure full file fidelity

This offer is available to all students at the University of Manitoba through Information Services and Technology. To get your complimentary Office 365 you must have an UMnetID and an active @myumanitoba.ca email account.

Visit http://umanitoba.ca/iridium to claim the Office 365 resource then log into your email at http://365.myumanitoba.ca/ to access Office 365. Instructions and videos to assist you can be found at New! Office 365 for Students.

Students may contact the Service Desk servicedesk@umanitoba.ca ; 204-474-8600 or visit Install Office on your PC or Mac with Office 365 (http://aka.ms/Y0o21h) for additional installation assistance.