Many departments at Swarthmore have shared email accounts that are read and responded to can be accessed by more than one person.     Examples are email accounts like "admissions" or "registrar".   These accounts are configured as "delegated accounts" in Gmail and can be accessed directly from your personal Gmail account if your department or group utilizes one.account.  A delegated account is more secure because there isn't a single shared password among users.  Users can be added or removed from the account without worrying about changing or remembering a password. 

Limitations of Delegated Accounts

Delegated accounts don't have Google Drive, Calendar, Chat, or Labs functions.  It is possible to create a shared Google Drive space using Google Groups or AODocs.  

Accessing a Delegated Email Account

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As a delegate you can access the contacts of the shared account by clicking the Contacts link. Clicking the To, Cc, or Bcc links in the mail compose window will also bring up your contacts.You will not be able to change the delegated account's password or account settings, or chat as the shared account.