2008 Woodie Awards
You don't have mail
Erica Varlese
- Page 1 of 1
|
Drew University students are about to go postal.
Since the beginning of the semester, there has been a dramatic increase in complaints regarding lost mail, according to Director of Public Safety Tom Evans.
Among students, rumors of theft are circulating because a large amount of greeting cards and envelopes containing money were lost.
While the University is looking to implement new security measures and has already rerouted targeted mail to the Pepin Center for Campus Security, students want the problem solved now.
Freshman Dana Bowling has been waiting more than a month for a product ordered on-line.
And she�s had similar encounters previously with Drew�s mailroom. A printer she ordered online was given to another student after being marked for the wrong mailbox.
�There�s no security in the mailroom,� she said. �I feel like I could pick up a package and just go with it.�
She�s not the only one. Freshman Claire McGowan is afraid to have her family send her anything else after not receiving a letter from her mother containing money. And sophomore Cathy Jacobs, whose inter-campus mail has taken over a week to reach its destination, echoed her peers� unease.
�It makes me concerned,� she said. �That�s your personal mail from home. The regular post office is a government organization, so it�s supposed to be certain that your things will get there. I know the school mailroom isn�t the government, but you should still be able to trust it.�
According to Evans, fluctuations in mailroom complaints occur throughout the year, yet the current situation appears to be an anomaly.
�If the mail were lost, it would eventually get here, and I would suspect that it would have gotten here before now. I�m concerned�I think it�s a matter of tightening up the process,� he said.
Kevin Healy, Drew�s manager of the Pepin Mail Center, voiced his worry as well. �We consider the problem very serious. [I remember] when I was in school, you wanted to get those cards and letters,� he said. Even though we�re in the age of technology, people want that. It�s a human touch, and it frustrates me when [people ask about their mail and] I have to say, �We don�t have it.��
Part of the reason why concern has mounted is because many of the missing mail pieces contain money and checks. According to Evans, however, the checks that are missing have not been cashed.
�If they were cashed, then we would have another lead to follow,� he stated. Both Evans and Healy stress the importance of not sending valuables in the mail, regardless of the current situation. Evans said, �It�s not a good idea to send cash in the mail anytime.�
The solution still eludes administrators as the problem proves difficult to pinpoint. They already had a third-party consultant come in to analyze and critique Drew�s mailroom practices. According to Healy, the consultant informed him that the staff is following all of the proper procedures yet was concerned about security measures�and not just at the University. Evans, Healy, and other administrators will meet with representatives of the Madison Post Office on Oct. 17 to explore areas of improvement on their part as well.
�We want to sit down and say, �Here are our problems. What can you do on your side?�� Healy said. �We have to make sure everything on the USPS side is being done properly.�
The Millennium Group, an office support group that managed Drew�s internal mail system since 1997, implemented more extensive background checks for prospective employees and rechecked current staff members, including Healy. �You really want to make sure the people are top-notch,� he added. �We look for any red flags before putting anyone at our sites.� In addition to drug tests, Social Security confirmations, credit checks and other background confirmations, the Millennium Group also checks if employees recently paid off any debts or bought expensive gadgets, Healy said.
The school is also looking to install security cameras outside and inside the mailroom, according to Evans. �If someone has a complaint, we can see exactly what�s going on,� he added, when referring to the benefits of a surveillance system.
However, they don�t want students to be frightened. Both Healy and Evans emphasize that they in no way believe that mail room employees are stealing. �It�s just an added level of security,� Evans said. Both still emphasize common sense. They urge students, especially freshman, to make sure their friends and family properly spell and write their addresses and do not send valuables in the mail.
�We have identified the items that we think are targeted,� Healy stated. Referring to greeting cards, checks, and envelopes with money, the school recently decided to intercept these items when they get to the Madison Post Office and bring them directly to the Pepin Center. Afterwards, students are alerted that their letters and packages are held there. Healy hopes that getting mail directly will increase security and feels students are already feeling the impact.
�One student had problems last year and [when we called her] she was really appreciative.� Healy said, �But I still feel students shouldn�t have to do that. Those extra steps shouldn�t have to be there.�
Student organizations will not be allowed to stuff mail boxes, as another level of extra security.
The difficulty in pinpointing the best solution is that the problem is incredibly difficult to define. The Millennium Group corporate offices sent �test� letters to both faculty and students last year, when complaints began to file in. The problem, according to Healy, was that all of the letters were received, making it impossible to solve the problem.
Healy is also concerned about the large amount of mail for Fairleigh Dickinson University and the College of Saint Elizabeth that ends up at Drew. �I�ve been able to reach out to Fairleigh and Saint Elizabeth so that they can keep their eyes open,� he said. �But it scares me when I look at how much mail we get that doesn�t belong to us. To me, that�s a red flag.�
Students are feeling the pressure�sophomore Danielle Isetts, who waited over three weeks to receive a letter from Madison, said the situation makes her feel uncomfortable and confused.
Not all of this unease has to do with the recent events, either. Senior Laura Billet said the mailroom gets a bad reputation, though concluding that it�s not always their fault. Sophomore Becky Gambale echoed these sentiments, �I�ve heard a lot of complaints about [the mailroom] in general.�
Bowling agrees. �They should do something [about the mailroom.] Absolutely,� she said.
Students should start to feel the effect of the recently implemented security measures, and more will be added as necessary. For school administrators, particularly Healy and Evans, this is a serious concern and priority. As Evans said, �Everyone has a right to expect that their mail is delivered and we�re going to make sure it is.�