Radford University - Beehive Yearbook (Radford, VA)

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Peering inside her box to soo it she has any mail Karyn Kranz discovers that a letter awaits her. The post ottic.e is one of the most popular places on campus Postal workers Nell Long and Rose French sit atop the pile of the day's mail On average, the post ot-lice receives 2.500 pieces ot mail daily Campus Life 27

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% A busy place Campus post office performs many functions for students and the school Probably the most popular place on campus, the post office, is where students gather seeking letters from home and friends. I always seem to get all my mail on one day,” Sarah Slocum, a senior from Elmira, N Y. said. But it makes up for the other days.” Another student said, Nobody must love me because I never get any mail. Donald Wheeler, managor of postal services for 20 years, said that on average 2,500 letters arrive each day. Mondays are usually the busiest with anywhere from 3,000 to 3,500 letters arriving. Monday also is a busy day for parcels. On average, the post office receives five sacks of parcels, but on Mondays that figure soars to ten sacks,” Wheeling said. And this mail count doesn't include the arrival of telephone bills which increases the mail count. The amount of mail that is sent out and arrives more than doubles around Valentine's Day. The week before Valentine's Day everyone mails their cards and letters out, Wheeler said, and the week of it. everyone receives their Valentine's. Although Christmas usually is a busy time of year for the postal service, it isn't too bad at the RU Station because students are on break. However, Wheeler noted that the mail really piles up while students are gone. The post office provides 2,195 boxes for on-campus students, administrators and departments. At least two students share each box. Approximately 5,000 22-cent stamps are sold each week at the window. Wheeler is responsible for ordering the stamps, and said he tries to choose a variety of them including commemorative issue stamps. Because it is a contract post office, the RU Station provides the same ser- vices as the downtown post office, Wheeler said. However. RU Station doesn't accept COD'S or postage due items, but these items can be picked up downtown. The station also provides money orders, certified mail, insured mail and registered mail, as well as sending out COD’s. One complaint students have about the post office is that they can’t put mail in another student's box free of charge. We have to charge students, Wheeler said, because it is a contract station. Departmental mail, however, is placed in boxes at no charge because RU owns the post office. Wheeler explained. Two operations occur at the campus post office. The first is the mail delivery to students. The other is departmental mail. Third class bulk mail is sent out on “I always get all my mail on one day. ” — Sarah Slocum a continuous basis for the various departments and student organizations. A mailing machine, which is used for departmental mail, allows for 285.000 pieces of mail to go out in one fiscal year, Wheeler said. The post office has four full-time employees including Wheeler and eight student workers who assist in sorting mail, placing mail in the boxes and forwarding mail in the summer. The post office is also used by many organizations for sign-ups. recruiting members, selling items, and elections. With all of these functions it's apparent that the post office is one of the busiest places on campus. By Cyndi Price Working the mailing machmo. Nell Long, soes to • I that departmental mail gets out 26 Campus Life

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28 Campus Life II you always want to be on time, be suro (o have an extra Swatch in case the other one stops. Swatch watches were popular as they gavo the wearer that final now wave touch. Hard Rock Cate T-shirts are lound on tho backs ol those who have never boon to London or Now York.