Mail problems continue in Quad

Mail problems have been plaguing University dormitories for several years now. But the situation just keeps getting worse. According to a letter sent out to students by Residential Living this week, 30 first class letters addressed to University students arrived on campus with slashed envelopes over the last two weeks. And Manager of Residential Services Rodney Robinson said yesterday that his department has received an additional 30 to 40 complaints about damaged or lost mail since the letter was sent out earlier this week. Before the letter was sent out, the department had only received one or two calls, he added. Robinson said all damaged letters have been handed over to the University Police. He added that at this point, police are unsure of the cause of the damage. "It could have been machine damaged, it could have been hand damaged," he said. "We don't know." He added that the situation is currently being investigated by the U.S. Postal inspectors. United States Post Office Delivery Manager Robert Clark confirmed that an investigation is being performed by his department. "It's an ongoing investigation," he said. "[The inspector] is working on the case very closely." He said all points of delivery are going to be investigated, adding that machine damage is a possibility. "You all think that just because mail is slashed open that someone is stealing it," he said. "A lot of the damage is done by machines." Clark added that his department has done a lot to improve the University's mail system over the last few years. He meets with individuals from Residential Maintenance at least once a month, he said. Programs such as the plus-four zip code digits for the dormitories have increased the efficiency of the mail system, he said. "I think we are processing mail faster this year than last year," he said. Robinson agreed that this year's mail situation is an improvement over past years. "In the past years, the complaints at this time were a lot more numerous," he said. In the spring of 1993, Residential Living received more than 350 complaints from students about lost or delayed mail. He added, however, that there are still some problems that need to be solved. "It has improved, but it is not satisfactory in terms of the number of complaints we have been getting," Robinson said. He also attributed these problems to the United States Post Office. "It's not at a level where we feel comfortable with the service we are receiving with the Postal System," he said. Robinson stressed that students should report all problems they see to the Residential Service Center at 573-DORM.