NEWSBRIEFS: Houston Hall mail store closes

According to Mapp, the store -- which opened two-and-a-half years ago -- earned most of its income from shipping and packaging fees but was challenged by the Mail Boxes, Etc., store that opened this fall under the garage at 38th and Walnut streets. "The business had just begun to flourish here," he said. "But the competition around campus was too much." He claimed that many Superblock residents opted to use to use the mail service on Walnut Street, instead of hiking to Houston Hall. "There is nothing wrong with competition," he said, adding that he wished the University had informed him of their plans to rent the Walnut Street location to Mail Boxes, Etc. Real Estate Director Christopher Mason said Mapp was not directly notified of the plans, because Mail Boxes, Etc., did marketing research and determined that there was a significant need for a new mail service location on Walnut Street. Associate Director of Houston Hall Services Thomas Hauber said the mail service business has never been successful in Houston Hall. "You don't make a lot of money selling stamps," he said. The University maintained a U.S. Post Office contract station in Houston Hall before Mapp and his brother, Luerell, opened Mail Stop Plus. The contract station opened when the demand for independent student mailboxes grew as University mailrooms became increasingly crime-ridden several years ago. And while it is not always profitable, Hauber said mail services are well-received on campus. "It's a loss of a great service for the students and staff who used it," he added. The Mapps are presently trying to sell the Mail Stop business and will continue to maintain their University Copy Service, also housed in Houston Hall's basement. -- Monica Leas Senior 'Feb Club' begins tonight The Senior Class Board kicks off "The Feb Club" -- a new set of Senior Screamers -- tonight, with a party at Cavanaugh's Restaurant on South 39th Street, according to Senior Class President Lenny Chang, a Wharton senior. There will be 11 Feb Club events in all, Chang said. Seniors will not be charged to attend any of them. Any senior who goes to seven of the 11 events will win a free senior class t-shirt, and anyone who attends 10 of the events will win a t-shirt and a class hat, Chang added. -- Mike Madden