Universities have a ton of infrastructure (dorms, admin buildings, classroom buildings, etc.) that can’t sit empty and powered down.

https://wiby.me/surprise/

lots of weird sites that exist that probably only their creator visit

I don’t know if I’d trust them more than Tuta or Proton. Especially for plain ol email. However if you use OpenPGP with your emails, then the contents would at least be secure. However, having a RiseUp email might give you some street cred if you’re in activists circles though.