Talking Stick - March/April 2011 - 21

investment, the benefits have made the transition worthwhile. Featuring both reporting functions and a checksand-balances structure, the technologybased format has been a valuable resource for the university, which receives an estimated 850 packages per day, 163,350 per year. One part o

still managing the efficient delivery of packages to the 816 students living in the three residence halls on campus. The system is so efficient, in fact, that they need only one staff member to manage the front desk. As Scott Stone, director of residence life and housing, says, “One key person can give it the

package locations in residence halls for the first two or three weeks of the semester. On another popular day for packages, Valentine’s Day, extra staff is assigned to shifts within the residence halls, and mailroom hours are increased	to	make	the	flow	of	packages	 less overwhelming. As efficient as a delivery system may be, it still sometimes seems that packages just can’t be delivered quickly enough. At Wayne State College in Nebraska, between 55 and 60 packages arrive in residence hall mailrooms each day. Though the system is efficient, Matthew Weekley, assistant dean of students and director of residence life, notes that students often forget that one day of processing is still needed before packages can be received by the residence hall mailrooms. “Our staff is very efficient in processing packages, but when students receive this information on the minute it can create frustration when their package hasn’t been processed yet by our staff,” he says. The first step in maintaining organization in residence hall mailrooms is the proper checking of packages when they first arrive. Stone notes that staff must be diligent in counting and keeping track of packages, making sure they are not just haphazardly signing anything. At MICA, staff have developed an efficient labeling system for sorting packages. From those containing small art supplies to those containing large furniture, incoming packages are categorized based on their size. To help ensure the efficient
MARCH + APRIL 2011

the system that has been most effective is the e-mail notification component, which automatically sends a message to students after a package is scanned and assigned to the individual. “The turnover in space is much more efficient,” Richard notes. While larger colleges and universities often rely on technologybased systems, some smaller schools continue to work well with old-school methods. At Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, the package delivery system is essentially hands-on and includes the use of whiteboards, hand tracking, and manual log-in. The system works well,

attention and focus it needs.” Even when a package delivery system works well most of the time, there are always certain times in the school	year	when	a	flood	of	packages	 can overwhelm the system. For most colleges and universities, this rush takes place at the beginning of any quarter or semester, but especially at the beginning of fall term, as well as during the weeks preceding holidays. Almost immediately after students move into residence halls for the new school year, needed or forgotten items arrive from family and friends. Boston University handles the increased volume by opening up temporary

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Talking Stick - March/April 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - March/April 2011
