The Mailroom, which last summer was relocated underneath the Dining Hall, is a means for students and faculty members to send and receive packages and mail. All of the students have their own mailboxes, and faculty members also receive packages from this space. It might seem shocking that the Mailroom staff is able to sort through almost 200 packages a day, but Mail Services Supervisor Mr. Peter Dupont has been doing so for ten years.
The job of a Mailroom staff member consists of “sorting packages and mail in a timely manner, since there is a deadline to everything we do,” according to Mr. Dupont. Mr. Dupont said that the Mailroom staff members “have to be at certain places on campus at certain times.” This is even the case during severe weather, specifically during these New England winters, where the heroic staff members take on the chills of winter to deliver mail and packages. Mr. Dupont said, “Most of the interesting stories happen during inclement weather; it’s just driving around campus that’s fun. I shouldn’t say it’s difficult, but it’s fun.”
Now we all get those emails saying that we have a package to be picked up in the Mailroom, but have you ever wondered what happens when it isn’t picked up? Mr. Dupont delves into the three steps of dealing with a left package: after three days, another reminder email is sent to the recipient; after ten days, a final notice is sent; and if the package is not picked up a week after the final notice goes out, the package is returned to its sender. The Mailroom staff has never, however, returned a package to a sender, because, as Mr. Dupont sheepishly admits, he and his staff “don’t have the guts to do it.” In any case, the package is normally picked up after the second reminder email.
Since both students and faculty members use the Mailroom, it hosts a range of visitors, from upperclassmen and teachers to faculty children and their pets. Mr. Dupont is fond of the faculty pets that come into the Mailroom, “They can jump right up on the counter and we’ve had some really unusual dogs.” Also, the children of teachers that follow along with their parents do nothing less than brighten the days of the working Mailroom staff members.
We can always rely on the Mailroom being open in any weather, as it has never had to close down on a scheduled day. Whether they’re underneath the Dining Hall sorting through the week’s hundreds of packages or driving around campus to ensure that mail is delivered in a timely manner, the Mailroom staff are always out and about, working with dedication to ensure that each piece of mail is delivered to its rightful owner.
