The University will update email security settings this month to meet current stricter sender requirements. Major providers like Google and Microsoft have already made similar changes. University IT has ensured all legitimate email flows are compliant, but some workflows will stop working due to these updates—and some have already been affected by Google’s enforcement.

• Using your work email address to send from personal accounts (like Gmail) will no longer be possible. Any emails sent from a personal account attempting to use your work email as the “From” address will be blocked because they will fail authentication checks.
• Forwarding personal or student email to work accounts, or work email to personal or student accounts, will cease to function reliably. Once these settings are in place, emails forwarded in this manner will likely be rejected or flagged as spam.

These practices, while convenient, were not compliant with University policies and introduced security vulnerabilities.

The University recently launched the Dependent Eligibility Verification process, as previously communicated via email and announced during open enrollment. All employees with dependents enrolled in University medical or dental plans must verify their dependents by February 20 to ensure continued medical and dental coverage.

As an employer, the University has a responsibility to ensure that only eligible dependents are covered under our medical and dental plans. Ineligible dependents increase costs for the plans and for all participants. This verification process is a best practice used by many large employers and is supported by Verifi1, an expert in facilitating employers and plan participants through the process.

Act now: Instructions have been sent by Verifi1 via email and by US mail to those with dependents on University medical and dental plans. The security of your data is important to us. As our chosen partner in this process, Verifi1 adheres to strict data security and confidentiality standards, only using documents solely to verify eligibility, and securely destroys them after the process is complete. The University has required Verifi1 to participate in a rigorous vendor qualification process, which included validating their information security practices.

For more information, please review these FAQs or attend one of the multiple drop-in support sessions hosted by the Office of Total Rewards. Sessions are offered at Corporate Woods, the Medical Center, and on River Campus, and all sessions are listed at the above link.

The MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence hosts a community dinner on the last Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. Learn more and RSVP to attend on January 28.

The Eastman School of Music’s Faculty Artist Series for the spring 2026 semester kicks off on Saturday, January 31. Find the schedule and ticket details here.

The Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program invites students, faculty, and staff to join a casual reading group this semester covering Karen Manarin’s Critical Reading in Higher Education: Academic Goals and Social Engagement and Reading Across the Disciplines. Manarin will join the group’s final conversation on April 17. Scheduling and sign-up information is available here.

All new students who started at the University in the 2026 spring semester must complete training through Blackboard on topics vital to the safety and well-being of the campus, which aligns with URochester’s Meliora values and ensures compliance with state and federal law. New students will receive emails from Blackboard about their assigned training modules and must utilize their University Active Directory credentials to log in. To locate this training in Blackboard, navigate to “Organizations” found on the left side of the platform. More information about the required annual training can be found here. All new students, as assigned, are required to complete this course by March 20. Failure to complete these trainings by the due date results in registration holds applied to the student’s account.

The Warner School of Education & Human Development has launched a new opportunity for URochester undergraduates in the School of Arts & Sciences to fast-track their graduate study through the 4+1 Master’s Program.

The River Campus Libraries offer data set grants to support undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the School of Arts & Sciences, Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Warner School of Education & Human Development, and Simon Business School. The spring semester deadline is Sunday, February 15.

Students can anonymously order free safer sex supplies directly to their campus mailbox through Safe Sex Express, provided by Health Promotion.