The recent tech transition to the new Student Information System (SISI) has created chaos for SMCC students, disrupting everything from financial aid to course registration. This has created outrage and panic among students. Why now? Why is this so called “seamless transition” anything but? 

Students with email addresses ending in @smccme.edu were required to switch to @mainecc.edu, leaving many scrambling to adjust. Although Information Technology (IT) sent out an email in November with instructions on how to activate the new email and change the password, the process has not been nearly as smooth as hoped. 

When trying to login to Brightspace using your new mainecc.edu email address, most students are  met with an error message saying there’s trouble signing them  in. The message states that the  new  email does not exist even when it has been activated. . This has been the case for many students. “I was unable to find out my basic financial aid information due to the email switch,” said SMCC basketball captain Andrew Quinn. Such problems have left students questioning why the change was made in the first place, and why now.

Kate Sibole, Chair of the Communications and New Media Studies (CNMS) department, was involved in the process of the email switch. According to Professor Sibole, the shift in email and SiS is part of the integration of all the CC campuses at the system level. Explaining the key differences between the old and new systems, Kate noted,  “The new email/ file sharing system, via Outlook, has been in the works for a few years now. They certainly look different, but underneath the different interface is a structure and purpose that is essentially the same.”

She also emphasized the importance of students adapting to the new system, warning that full access to the old accounts will eventually be lost. Because of that, she advised, it’s important to “start saving your stuff into more than one place.” In an email IT added, “the @smccme.edu accounts will be eliminated. Students are responsible for migrating their own data or contacting the HelpDesk for assistance before that time.”

Professor Sibole pointed out that the biggest challenge is, “being able to pay attention to your part in the changes. It’s hard to shift your focus to one more thing or one more email that you may not have a really invested understanding of. You’ve also probably seen your teachers and advisors frustrated! We aren’t kidding when we say we are all learning right alongside you. You may expect your teachers to at the very least be a step or two ahead of you! We are mostly not. Not in this case.” IT agrees and says that living in a world with two accounts and not understanding which account to use where is challenging for students. 

Is another switch like this likely to happen again? Professor Sibole couldn’t say. “This kind of systems-based change is complex and expensive. I am hoping for no more big changes for a long foreseeable future. I think we’ve all learned the value of being able to pivot when necessary. This is messy-but not entirely messed up. All design is at first!” IT claims, “this is a long-term solution.”

Riley Bolton dealt with her own share of troubles. She was told about the switch by a professor months ago. “My initial reaction was, why now? It didn’t make any sense to me.” She believes the switch wasn’t done effectively, that it wasn’t timely and there was no organization. “I wasn’t able to sign up for my summer courses. I had even emailed IT and I still wasn’t able to get a hold of my new email account” said Bolton. She believes that the transition wasn’t necessary, and that the old system had worked great. “My advisor had to sign me up for my summer classes himself. It should’ve been done while we were on break and there should be more help available.”

Why wasn’t the transition done over the summer? Why now? The switch took place right after March break, yet students are still able to access their old @smccme.edu accounts. So, can we continue using them until they’re fully shut down? The Beacon wasn’t able to get a direct answer, an experience likely shared by many students, and one which only adds to the frustration between students and IT.