Not every grand opening starts with cutting a bright red ribbon with comically large scissors.
In the case of Bradley’s new centralized mailroom, the repurposed Heitz Hall space was filled with construction workers, stacks of mail, boxes and large items like TVs.
To address security concerns and provide convenience by centralizing mail, the initiative had a lot to do.
Before, mail was delivered to Residential Living staff, while resident assistants (RAs) handled packages in each dorm. The system wasn’t perfect – being limited to RA office hours – but the mailroom’s establishment wasn’t seamless either.
Students struggled to adapt to the change, which prompted more questions than answers – and they didn’t get enough from Bradley.
“I would hope in the future that the communication would be a little more concrete or consistent,” an RA said. “The one thing I know is that the specifics of the mail room were not confirmed until our training this fall, but we still weren’t given timelines on when deliveries would be transferred from the buildings to the mail room.”
The RA commented on communication issues on condition of anonymity, fearing their employment status could be jeopardized.
Bradley’s executive director of communications and media relations Libby Derry responded to student feedback with a statement.
“Information about the transition was shared through several channels, including digital monitor screens across campus, the Aug. 3 parent newsletter, an Aug. 19 student email, residence hall flyers, RA training, updates to the Housing website and updates on Be Connected,” Derry listed.
But communicating the change was only half the problem.
“There were a lot of points where the answers to questions were simply that they didn’t know,” the RA said. “It made it seem like they were behind on the mailroom, but expected it to be ready when students arrived on campus.”
Because neither packages nor mail were sorted by building to divide the load, a new challenge arrived.
The mailroom’s opening aligned with the start of the school year, which meant the facility was not only acclimating to campus but also carrying a heavier load.
“It was [disorganized] in the beginning,” custodial services supervisor Tracy Vanerheydt said. “I would say that 100 percent. You’re talking move-ins, hundreds and hundreds of packages. You’re talking every dorm was all in one mailroom, and at the beginning of school, everybody wanted all these packages. The ones they didn’t want to bring with them when they moved in, they had shipped.”
To add to the stack, the software necessary to communicate with students hadn’t been implemented well either.
”We didn’t have a walker, so we didn’t have the capability of emailing anybody,” Vanerheydt added. “I think if you ask [students] now, I would hope it’s better with what we have, because they’re picking them up like that.”
Getting to the bottom of the pile with the systems implemented didn’t happen overnight because another obstacle stood in the way.
Students weren’t ready for the changes.
”They’re not checking their emails,” said Joseph Alexander from administrative support. “They come in here, and I’ve asked them if they have an email from QTrak. They say they don’t think so, and then they go to look, and it’s there.”
The calm after – or in the middle of – the storm
Anyone entering the mailroom now would be greeted with a package-free space lined with lockers and easy access to their mail. For students like senior political science and English major Nyah Burnett, however, some concerns still exist.
“l had a $500 phone being delivered, and they lost it,” Burnett said. “I had to call five people just to figure out where my package went, and they finally located it.”
“It was delivered Friday. It’s Monday.”
Concerns like Burnett’s don’t represent most student feedback, but Bradley is working to address similar issues.
“This weekend … I got an email from the U-Hall director with a line of packages outside of Heitz,” Vanderheydt said. “Then, when she took them into the Heitz office for us, there were a whole bunch more, and they were all from one company.”
Staff members like Vanderheydt want to reduce confusion, but the issue isn’t exclusive to the new location: the dorm system often received complaints of lost packages. But with fewer locations for incoming mail, the mailroom offers the potential for less confusion.
When it comes to delivering packages to the correct location, third-party delivery companies have presented challenges, as communicating specific directions to many different drivers has been difficult, so Bradley’s approach seeks to simplify it with a new addition.
A separate caged area for mail and package delivery.
“It’s a new decision,” Vanderheydt explained. “It was something we didn’t realize we were going to need at the time. We’re doing that so that on weekends, [companies] can [still] deliver packages.”
Though large packages will be housed in the cage instead of sitting in the mailroom lobby, Burnett presented another issue: the conditions the packages were kept in.
“I have to take medication. So, it gets delivered, but it has to be refrigerated,” Burnett said. “I haven’t gotten it yet, but I don’t know the future with that.”
Other students like sophomore kinesiology and health sciences major Ayva Rush found the timing more difficult.
“I feel like [you can only go] between classes and stuff,” Rush said. “I don’t want to make the trip over here during the day.”
The silver linings
Though QTrak, the mail scanning software that sends students notification emails, had issues at first, students are adjusting now that it’s been implemented.
When issues have arisen, Burnett found the staff has been the mailroom’s best asset.
“I think the people in the mail room are nice,” Burnett said. “[Alexander] was helping me find the package. He wasn’t just like, ‘oh, I don’t know what to tell you.’ He was actively trying to help me.”
Bradley will continue to build the mailroom team.
In addition to Alexander currently working there, more staff will be hired to increase operating hours to 24/7 in the future. Still, access to the cage will remain limited for security purposes.
For now, students can expect the mailroom to be open Mondays through Fridays from 8 AM to 3 PM and weekends from 10 AM to 2 PM. More information can be found here.
