Package delivery reached record numbers during the fall 2020 campus quarantine. Here’s an inside look at Mail Services, which sorts and scans thousands of student mail items per day, delivers department mail across campus, and more.
Student packages await pickup in one of two containers used to accommodate the fall 2020 overflow.
Jereme Amann-Burns, mail clerk, mans the window in the Coop.
University Printing.
Mailboxes from the old student union are still in use today.
Rob Kautz, high-tech digital press operator/mailing and bindery technician, operates a paper cutter.
Autumn Overload
Mailroom staff scanned close to 2,000 packages per day, necessitating the use of two full-size containers parked in the loading dock of the Coop. The mailroom’s five full-time employees faced the avalanche of packages with panache, and countless volunteers assisted with delivery.
Timeless
In 1967, Mail Services moved to the newly built Coop from its previous location in James C. Colgate Hall, the old student union. They brought along the original student mailboxes, which are still in use today. Up until the late 1980s, students shared boxes. As the student body grew and more mailboxes were needed, they were sourced from local post offices, leading to the eclectic mix currently
in use.
Mail Merge
In the early 1990s, Mail Services and University Printing joined forces. They are now under the leadership of Kip Manwarren, who started as a temporary mailroom employee more than 25 years ago. Manwarren led the charge to digitize the package tracking system. Prior to 2014, mailroom staff manually wrote up package slips, which were placed in student mailboxes. Manwarren also brought innovations to printing production and implemented an online ordering system for University Printing in 2017.
Oddities
A number of unconventional packages have made their way through the mailroom. Most memorable deliveries:
- A motorcycle kit delivered on a skid — which the enterprising student then assembled on-site at the Coop
- A full living room set complete with couch, loveseat, and chairs
- Car fenders
- A 6-foot teddy bear
Longevity
Mailroom staff members are a close-knit bunch with more
than 107 years’ combined experience. They enjoy working closely with students and developing relationships with them during their years at Colgate. Mark Boise is the mailroom’s lead clerk, with 39 years under his belt. “We like to get to know the students,” he says. “Sometimes we feel kind of like their parents away from their parents.”