MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
The online experience for Fredonia students and faculty will look a bit different this year.
After several years of utilizing Google Workspace, the school has made the switch to Microsoft Office.
On Wednesday, May 28, all emails and files were automatically switched over to Microsoft.
Michel Kouadio, Fredonia’s chief information officer (CIO), explained that the university’s financial issues contributed to the decision.
“Unfortunately, because of our financial challenges, we found ourselves in a position where it became more and more difficult to be able to catch up with new technology or even replace computers in the classroom,” he said.
Information Technology Services (ITS) found that the school had over 1,000 computers that were nearly a decade old, and Kouadio said that the bill to replace all of them would total nearly $1 million.
That price tag, combined with an existing multi-million-dollar deficit that the school currently faces, meant that something needed to change.
As ITS took stock of the university’s technology, they found that several platforms overlapped with each other, and the school was paying for multiple services that performed the same functions.
For example, Fredonia was paying for Zoom, but Google offered its equivalent of Google Meet, and the school’s existing Microsoft license provided access to its videoconferencing program, Microsoft Teams.
“All in all, the Microsoft system provided a more comprehensive platform for enterprise infrastructure,” Kouadio said.
Kouadio also said that many universities and organizations use Microsoft for various reasons, including the fact that Microsoft Office was originally designed for enterprises.
When the switch officially took place on May 28, all files in Google Drive were transported to Microsoft’s OneDrive.
Fredonia enlisted the help of Fortsyte, a partner of Microsoft, to handle the transition of all data.
Kouadio said that there would be no data loss in the process. He also mentioned that if a file could not be automatically switched over, ITS would be notified and would have to copy the file to Microsoft manually.
Now, when students log in with their eServices account, they will automatically be directed to OneDrive instead of Google Drive, as well as Outlook instead of Gmail.
In OneDrive, students will notice a folder labeled “Mig25,” short for “Migration 2025.”
Inside the folder, all files from Google Drive will be available as Microsoft documents.
As a result, anything created as a Google Doc will now be a Word document, Google Slides will now be PowerPoints and Google Sheets will now be Excel spreadsheets, just to name a few.
Like Google Drive files, any Microsoft files can be accessed through the online versions of each Microsoft program, so students do not need to download any additional software.
In fact, ITS recommended using the browser version of Microsoft platforms rather than the desktop apps, as some users reported issues with access to files in the desktop versions.
While Microsoft will now be the platform for students and faculty to use, Google hasn’t completely gone away yet.
Kouadio said that students will still be able to access Google Drive through at least January 5, 2026.
Gmail is an exception, though. Students are no longer able to send or receive emails through their school Gmail accounts.
But if a student would prefer to keep using Google Drive instead of OneDrive for the fall semester, they can.
However, anything created on Google Drive after May 28 will need to be manually copied over to OneDrive by the student, as the migration only copied over files that were in students’ Google Drive accounts at that time.
Student reactions to the switchover have been mixed. Some have voiced their frustration, while others have expressed that it’s not much of an issue.
Several students have posted their thoughts on YikYak, an anonymous social media platform.
“I wish they didn’t switch to Microsoft, bro, like can we just have one consistent thing,” one student posted.
“I’m sorry but I hate Outlook/Microsoft. I was so glad I didn’t have to use it once I graduated high school,” another student said. “Now we’re using it again? I am not switching if I don’t have to. F— OneDrive and f— Outlook Calendar.”
Another post disagreed with the previous two opinions. This student wrote, “I think you guys are being a little dramatic about the Microsoft switchover, [I’m not going to lie]. Yeah, it’s not ideal, but Outlook really isn’t that difficult to navigate, and Microsoft Word and PowerPoint are hardly any different than Google Docs and Slides.”
Kouadio acknowledged that some may not be thrilled about the migration, but he expressed confidence that the shift will be beneficial to all. “I know when you make a change of this magnitude, there are always people who may have some concern,” he said. “However, this is a very, very important project for us, and [it is] something that will bring a lot of value and enhance the user experience.”
Moving forward, Kouadio said the university is thinking of using Microsoft to create an intranet, which is an internal website that only Fredonia students and faculty can access.
He said the intranet would be a new communication tool for the campus, and it would function in a manner similar to how social media works.
“You can find different communities on campus and engage with them,” he said. “You can participate in discussion, so this way, you have a sense of belonging.”
The intranet may also be used to help incoming students connect with one another and answer any questions that may arise.
Outside of communication, the intranet would also be used to keep students organized, as links and files would be accessible all in one place.
Any students who have additional questions or need help in relation to the switch can contact ITS at help@fredonia.edu.
ITS also has a searchable database of frequently asked questions, and those can be found at https://fredonia.sharepoint.com/sites/MicrosoftTransition.