A decision which would allow the university to operate the campus post office has been delayed so that broader discussion of the proposal can take place.
President Donald Zacharias said faculty, staff and student representatives will be added to the U.S. Mail Committee to study the matter.
Mississippi State officials have been discussing the possibility of assuming management of the campus post office, following a request from the U.S. Postal Service.
University and postal officials met for the first time July 14. If an agreement were reached, University Mail Services would run the office, which is located on the ground floor of the YMCA Building.
"As a contract post office, we would provide retail window services," said Wayne Reed, director of Business Resources. "This includes selling stamps, money orders, all the window services currently provided by the Postal Service."
At present, mail is delivered to the post office at 5 a.m. each day. Reed said nearly 60 percent of that correspondence is separated by Postal Service employees for delivery by Mail Services, with the remainder boxed by Postal Service employees.
"The Postal Service now views a contract operation with Mississippi State as a more cost-effective way of providing service," Reed explained. "With the university in charge, our own personnel would box the mail. There would be no changes in mail delivery schedules and there actually would be decreased handling of the mail."
If the contract were to be approved as proposed by the Postal Service, post office box rental fees in both the YMCA and Lee Hall locations would revert to Mississippi State. In addition, the Postal Service would pay the university an annual fee of $60,000, which would fund salaries for additional employees needed.
Gerald Weathers, Mail Services manager, said his office is prepared to make the physical move from the Bost Extension Service Center to the YMCA if the contract is approved by the U.S. Mail Committee and university officials.
"Mailing costs could actually be reduced through the use of Mail Services," Weathers said. "Mail originating from Mississippi State addresses could be delivered to post office boxes without payment of postage."
Reed said if an agreement were reached, window hours would be unchanged and all university holidays would be observed, except at the Christmas break, when the facility would remain open. However, with the post office no longer a federal operation, it would also remain open for federal holidays. Twenty-four hour box access would continue.
No box numbers would change, Reed said, and the mailing address would remain "Mississippi State, MS 39762."
The university could provide services not available at federal post offices, as well as adding MoneyMate access and placing postal vending machines around campus, if the proposal is approved, Weathers said.
Weathers, one of only 121 certified mail managers in the country, has operated the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine and Extension Services mail operations for 17 years. He assumed operation of the consolidated university service in 1994.
"I welcome the opportunity to meet with anyone to explain the university mail services," he added. "We offer many services to assist departments with mail and we believe we can enhance the personal touch."
For additional information about the proposed changes, contact Reed at 325-2550 or Weathers at 325-3835.
This World Wide Web version of MSU Memo was modified and updated by Chris Brown.
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Last modified: Friday, 14-Jun-2002 15:59:09 CDT.
URL: http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/msu_memo/1995/8-28-95/change.htm
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