Frequently Asked Questions
Please send feedback or concerns to communityhelp@swarthmore.edu. Both positive feedback and constructive criticism are most welcome!
Access
- Who can access the Online Community?
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The Online Community can be accessed by alumni, current students, active staff, and active faculty. Friends of the College, including parents & families of students, are welcome to create an account and are able to update contact information and set mailing and event preferences.
- How do I access the Online Community?
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Read directions on how to create a new account in the Online Community.
- What happens if I forget my password?
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Once you create and verify your profile via an active email account, you will be able to reset your own password. Click "Forgot Password" on the login page and a password reset link will be emailed to you.
Network
- How can I connect with alumni in a particular affinity group?
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If you are a Lang Scholar or a McCabe Scholar, we have prepopulated that information in your profile. You can opt in to receive communications from the LGBTQ+ Alumni Network, the Latinx Alumni Network, the Alumni of Color Network and the Swarthmore Black Alumni Network (SBAN). You can request to receive information on events and other topics from these groups, while at the same time hiding these affinities within the Online Community. View a list of class, affinity, and location-based discussion groups and social media pages.
- How can I get better results when I search the Alumni Online Community?
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After clicking on the Directory, click the blue “Add Search Criteria” button. There are over 20 different criteria available to narrow your search. We suggest being as specific as possible, as searching the Directory only returns the top 500 results. Here are some additional tips:
- Search for a range of class years by using a dash (–) between two distinct years, shown here: 1990–1993.
- Use a Best Match Search when you have several filters in your search and you would like results that meet all and some of the filters. For example a Best Match Search with filters Job Title = teacher and Career Category = teacher, will return results that match job title and career category first and additionally list results that only match one of the filters.
- An Exact Match search using multiple filters only returns results that match all your filters. An Exact Match search will match on the exact characters even if they are a partial of a name or word. An Exact Match search of Name = Jon will return results with Jon, Jonathan and Jones.
Please note that friends of the College, including parents and families of students, cannot search the Directory and do not appear in search results. Students, faculty, and staff members may search the Directory but do not appear in search results.
Learn & Mentor
- How do I access JSTOR, Project Muse, and/or Mango Languages?
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To access these resources, alumni must first log into the Alumni Online Community and then click the "Reference & Resources" link along the top of the page.
- What happens when you check the mentoring box in your profile?
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By clicking “I want to mentor someone" in your profile, you are enabling other alumni, students, and faculty to more easily connect with you. “Willing to mentor” is a searchable field in the directory. Students and fellow alumni often use this field to find alumni who are willing to connect with others, offer career advice, review resumes, or provide connections within different industries. “Mentoring” is loosely defined. You are not committing yourself to anything by selecting “Willing to mentor”. If you select the check box, additional text fields appear. These fields enable you to more fully expand upon your areas of expertise and interests. The depth of your profile is greatly enhanced by adding information to these fields.
Personalize
- Will the Online Community update my permanent record with the College?
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Yes. Any changes that you make to your personal record in the Online Community are automatically sent to the Alumni & Gift Records Office. Those changes will then be made in the College's database. For changes that you cannot make in the Community, please email records@swarthmore.edu or call 610-328-8408.
- Can I change my name in the Online Community?
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Yes, from the "My Profile" page select the "Edit Profile" button. From there you can change your name and make other updates. These changes will be reflected immediately in your Online Community profile and updated within 72 hours in the College's database.
- Does the College offer lifelong email forwarding?
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Yes, log into the Alumni Online Community and click the "Email Forwarding" link along the top of the page. As a reminder, your @alum.swarthmore.edu address is not an actual inbox but rather a forwarding system. Replying to mail sent to your alias@alum.swarthmore.edu will come from your real email account. As such, you cannot use your email forwarding address to receive discounts or promotions tied to ".edu" email addresses.
Privacy
- What if I requested my information stay private in one of the old Online Communities?
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We will continue to honor all requests to suppress entire profiles or specific information. If you opted out of one of the previous Online Community tools, we have already opted you out of this new Community. The new Online Community gives you many options to hide all or some of your information. If you are concerned, we suggest creating a profile and reviewing your privacy settings. You can opt out of the Online Community entirely or hide specific pieces of information.
- Can I select which information I would like to remain private?
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Yes. Anything in your profile can be hidden or revealed. Once you create a profile and update your information you will be able to review your privacy settings. Hiding or showing information is as easy as checking a box.
- What are your default privacy settings?
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If you asked the College to hide your information in the past, we have respected that wish in the new Online Community. We will never display your home or work street address.
By default, the following information is suppressed unless you create an account and opt in to share these pieces of info:
- Home city, state, and nation
By default, we do show the following pieces of information, which you can opt out of after creating an account and updating your privacy settings:
- Your name and class year
- Swarthmore major
- Degrees earned from any institution
- Employer name, job title, city, state, and nation
The Online Community will never show your email address, but students, faculty, staff, and other alumni may contact you through the community. Messages will be sent to the email address on file without revealing your email to the sender. The sender will only see your email address if you respond to their message.
