the Informer

Photo courtesy of Alex Janes

Computer malfunctions have hampered the new e-mail package notification system at the university’s mailroom.Carol Murzyn, director of the university’s mailroom, said that e-mail notifications for students stopped going out to students on Wednesday of last week.

Pitney Bowes, the company who developed and sold the product that tracks incoming packages, repaired the system today and students should start to see new messages as of Wednesday, Murzyn said.

However, Murzyn said, the repair did not allow the mailroom to send backlogged notifications for messages to students whose packages arrived in the mailroom in the time the system was not working.

“We know how important every package is to students,” Murzyn said. “We’re short on space, but we’re doing our best” to meet demand, she said.

Wednesday, the lines streamed from the mail window to the doors of Gengras Student Union on the bottom floor at one point during the day.

Murzyn cited books ordered from online retailers, such as Borders and Amazon, as the cause for the lines. Murzyn said that she had never seen so many book orders come to the mailroom.

The mailroom will open this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help distribute incoming books and other packages to students who wish to receive them, Murzyn said.

The new system, introduced this year, was meant to streamline and make the package reception process “greener.” Instead, students are left wondering when or if their package is available to be picked up.

Kevin Froese, a freshman, said Wednesday while waiting in line that although he has received packages, he never received an e-mail from the mailroom for his books he ordered. What’s more, Froese has another package that has been marked as received by the shipper that the mailroom says it cannot locate.
Marissa Madonna, a sophomore, was also in line for a package the mailroom had not notified her about. She said her mother had called and told her that her care package has been delivered to the university.

Madonna asked, “Why can’t [the mailroom] go back to the card system [if the e-mail notification system isn’t working]?” The mailroom used to notify students about incoming packages by leaving a card inside students’ mailboxes.

Michael Lach, a junior, also had similar issues. He found out his package had been received by the university through UPS’ tracking Web site.

“The old system was easier,” Lach said, also noting that the system made getting packages slower than it used to be.

Photo courtesy of Alex Janes