The UVA Alumni Association Lied About Why They’re Killing Your Email — Then Hit You Up for Money on the Last Day
Let’s be clear about what actually happened, because the official story is a lie.
For months we were told the end of lifetime email access was about IT, security, and ‘bad actors.’ That was always a smokescreen. A documented email exchange between an alumnus and an Alumni Association staffer shows him admitting — in writing — that the real reason is Google raised prices and the Alumni Association didn’t want to pay. The security talking points were bolted on afterward to make a budget decision sound responsible.
This isn’t a new revelation to them, either. As far back as December, a reporter for Virginia Magazine — which is published by the Alumni Association — reached out to alumni directly, citing the petition on this exact issue and noting the number of people affected was “not an insignificant number.” They’ve known.
And today, the actual last day before accounts get nuked, while people are scrambling to back up a decade or more of their digital lives, the Alumni Association sent a fundraising email: “Give before midnight.” Asking you to help “sustain the traditions that connect Hoos for life” — the same day they’re severing one of the only tangible things they’ve ever given you in exchange for your dues.
Some of these people paid for lifetime memberships. The email account was, for a lot of alumni, the one actual benefit. Now it’s about to disappear, and they’re still asking for money like nothing happened.
This isn’t paranoia or an overreaction — it’s a pattern other schools are getting sued over right now. CU Boulder is facing an active class-action lawsuit this month for doing the exact same thing: ending “email for life,” citing the same vague justifications, after collecting fees alumni paid under the explicit promise of lifetime access. There’s a petition over there with 1,300+ signatures calling it what it is — a breach of trust, not a “neutral technical change.”
We’re closing in on 900 signatures here. If your account is about to disappear tonight and you’re only now finding out who’s actually responsible and why, this is the moment to do something with that anger instead of just sitting with it.
Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/protect-lifelong-uva-email-access-for-students-and-alumni
Current students: this also affects you going forward — access is being cut to nine months after graduation. The University Ombuds office (ombuds.virginia.edu) serves current faculty, staff, and students if you want to raise a formal concern.
They’re counting on this fading by tomorrow. Don’t let it.