With the crush of incoming textbook packages that marks the beginning of each semester, Dickinson students were introduced to a new student mail services feature. The Mail Center, under the direction of Mail Center Manager Lisa Ellerman and Student Mail Center and Package Pick-Up Supervisor Zair Ulsh, planned and implemented an electronic notification system for alerting students when they have a package.

“The email notification conversation started with our package pick-up software provider in August,” explained Ellerman. The process was then beta-tested with them during the 2013 fall semester. The program was fully implemented after students returned from Thanksgiving break, but many students began to notice it at the beginning of the spring semester.

Contrary to some belief, the email notifications will not be replacing pink mail slips, since the emails do not contain the information pertinent to actually picking up the packages… Rather, the email notifications are simply a benefit for students to know when they should go to get the labels. This system was put in place as a courtesy to students so that they can be alerted of the arrival of a package prior to when students may simply happen across the pink labels in their HUB boxes.

These package notifications state, “This email notification is to advise you that a package notice will be placed in your mailbox shortly,” and remind students that they will need their Dickinson College ID and the package notice from their HUB box in order to be given their package. The emails also remind students of the hours for package pick-up and that all packages must be picked up within a weekend of their delivery.

The pink labels are still necessary because they detail the package tracking information, the matching recipient’s information, and location of the package in the Mail Center.