Unattended packages, open mail found again in Quad

In the latest in an ongoing saga, packages and mail were left unattended in the Quadrangle mail room twice last week, Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said last night. But Simeone said she is confident the problems will not occur again. In addition to the package situation, approximately 25 letters were delivered to the mail room opened last weekend, Simeone added. And according to Residential Services Manager Rodney Robinson, 10 more pieces of damaged mail were turned over to U.S. postal inspectors yesterday. In an incident particularly worrisome to Residential Living officials, a large shipment of packages came to the mail room while the staff was logging them into the system, Simeone said. But because of the number of packages in the shipment and the small size of the Quad package office, some packages spilled outside the office and into an area the employees could not see. "It is true that there is a theoretical risk that someone could have grabbed something and run," Simeone said. "But the staff says they were there the entire time." Residential Living officials are now considering using a permanent storage trailer that would be parked outside the Quad. The trailer would serve as the Quad's package room. Simeone said she does not yet know the details of how this would work and how much it would cost. But she noted that the trailer would have to be heated during the winter months. Residential Living considered renovating the entire mail room, but ruled out the idea because it would have cost the University at least $250,000. In the second incident of packages being left unattended, an employee left some mail and packages in an open room for a few minutes while sorting mail elsewhere. Simeone noted that in that case, the sorting room where the mail was left should have been closed and locked. "I do not foresee any further problems with someone keeping a door open just for a moment," Simeone said. Robinson noted that the University's problems with mail delivery extend throughout all of the residences. "Complaints are coming from all over campus," he said. "All the mail problems go beyond the Quad." A meeting between University officials and U.S. postal officials had originally been scheduled for Monday but was postponed because of a personnel change within the Philadelphia post office, Simeone said. She hopes to reschedule as soon as possible. Despite Residential Living's efforts to improve the mail situation on campus, students are still complaining about missing and damaged mail. Wharton freshman J.D. Slosburg said his mother sent him a greeting card with $20 in it that he has not yet received. "It hasn't made it here yet and I don't think it ever will," Slosburg said. Postal inspectors and Residential Living officials said last week that post office employees who may be tampering with the mail are looking specifically for greeting cards that might contain money.