Associated Student Government’s promise of an electronic package slip system for the 1835 Hinman mail room came to fruition when the system was implemented May 9.
The pilot system will serve the residents of 1835 Hinman, Jones Residential College, Communications Residential College and International Studies Residential College. In the system, mail room employees fill out and submit and online form, after which an email notification is sent to both the mail room email account and the resident’s account. When someone picks up the package, the employee checks off the email for logging purposes.
“We took the package slip process and put it on a screen,” said ASG Senator Ani Ajith, a Daily staffer.
Although the online form itself was created by previous ASG Executive Vice President and Weinberg senior Hiro Kawashima, Ajith gathered data on residents to fill the mail room’s online database.
“It makes their lives easier,” the Weinberg freshman said. “This is what they should expect from their student government: a simple solution that gets the job done.”
Ajith added that the electronic mail room package slips will improve the entire package process.
“It reduces wait times, it increases efficiency and it reduces clutter in the mail room,” he said.
According to ASG Student Life Vice President and McCormick junior Katie Bradford, the electronic package slips began as a green initiative. Bradford oversaw the process and assisted Ajith with communication and initial implementation. She said the system will especially help those who are far from mail rooms and mailboxes.
“For a lot of people, even checking their mailbox is a trek,” she said.
Originally, the mail room system was planned for Kemper Hall. However, this attempt failed when Kemper’s mail room manager asked for extra functionalities the students could not provide. Because Ajith is the senator for CRC, ISRC and Jones and had gathered support from those residences, the 1835 Hinman mail room was the next choice.
CRC resident Connor Sears received an email from the electronic system and said it outshines the older, paper-based system.
“It was super simple,” the Medill freshman said. “You don’t have to keep track of a package, you don’t have to check your mailbox every day. They cut the middle man out.”
Nate Bartlett, another CRC resident and Communication junior, said the system would only work if he was not expecting a package. However, on packages that provide consumer email accounts with delivery notifications, the mail room email is unnecessary.
If the University does not acquire a professional electronic mail room system by the fall, Ajith said, ASG will try to expand its own system to mail rooms across campus.
