HPU post office proves mail is more than meets the eye
The employees of the HPU post office work diligently to ensure that students receive their packages as soon as possible. Photo by: Alexis Ancel
By Liz Reichart// A&E Editor
The post office located in Slane Student Center handles everything from large shipping boxes to small post cards. The process of picking up a package or piece of mail may seem simple; however, what about when you’re dealing with mail for nearly 5,000 people?
The post office is a complex system of operations that allows you to get your textbooks and that portable speaker you bought on Amazon. HPU’s Mail Distribution Coordinator Rachel Parlier is responsible for sorting all of the incoming mail and making sure it ends up in the correct hands, whether it be a department on campus or a suite in the Village. Parlier additionally handles the forwarding of all mail and packages to anyone who is no longer a student here.
Even though her job description indicates she works primarily with handling mail, Parlier explained how it’s a whole lot more than boxes and envelopes. “I handle any technical issues that come up with our scanners and our tracking system,” Parlier said.
Efficiency and speed, Parlier says, is the name of the game. “I, along with most everyone in our department, actually do a little bit of almost everything that we need to do to make sure everything gets done quickly.”
The post office does not run without difficulty, particularly due to the tight quarters the postal services operate in. “I have been here over 10 years and we are in the same size space that we started with,” Parlier said, which is no small task considering the 4,600 students who now attend HPU.
This growing student population explains why lines have been longer lately. “With the rate that the university is growing, it is very difficult for us to keep up at times,” Parlier said. “We do the best we can for what we have, but sometimes it is difficult to deal with.”
The student workers are who truly help the post office run. “The most enjoyable part is the relationships we develop with students and mainly the student workers we hire,” Parlier said. “The post office could not survive without our student employees.”
The sorting and distribution of packages is no easy task and builds what Parlier describes as a unique camaraderie between student workers. “We try to provide a fun working environment for them, so we usually have a good time while getting the work done,” Parlier said.
“I’ve been working here for two semesters, and it’s a nice job to have because you get to interact with other people which I like,” junior Juls Zipp said. “All the people that work in the back are the sweetest people in the world.”
“Usually during normal times we operate fine, but during August move-in, Halloween and Valentine’s Day we have had several issues with space, but we have made a few arrangements for the future to make sure things go more smoothly,” Parlier said.
“It’s a lot more difficult at the beginning of the year when we have a lot of packages and a lot of things being sent from home,” sophomore Sarah Julian said. “Students don’t realize how hard it is to find one package in dozens of other packages.”
On the subject of tips to make that post office wait line move faster, Parlier said it’s usually a matter of knowing your “stuff.” “Make sure you check your ‘MyStuff’ account because it is apparently not common knowledge, but if you move rooms, you may get a new box number assigned to you,” Parlier said. “Knowing your correct box number is key to the line going quickly.”
It’s also helpful to know some information on the shipping service you’re using. “We have a place that we keep packages that don’t have a name on them or have something else that prevents us from getting it to the right person,” Parlier said. “If you have the tracking number, we will get it to you a lot faster.”
Finally, Parlier says, the post office is ultimately here to help students. “Don’t be afraid to come to us with any problems. I feel that sometimes students are afraid to bring up any concerns to us, but I don’t ever want anyone to feel that way. So please, do not be afraid to come to me or anyone else with your concerns. We are here to help with anything.”