Staff Email Access - HDR

Hey fellow HDR students, I’ve heard anecdotally that students have been able to pester the student centre into setting up either a staff email or staff-style email (eg no unikey in the address) to maintain professional communications as a PhD student who is not technically employed by the uni. Has anyone had experience with this or knows if it’s legit? I tried submitting a request to the student centre but it got shot down immediately, so not sure if I took the wrong approach or if it’s just not possible. Thanks!