Investigation of high rises' missing mail still under way

Nearly two months after residents filed complaints about mail delivery problems in Hamilton Village, the investigation appears to be at a standstill. Residents in Hamilton, Harrison and Harnwell college houses had filed a total of 48 official mail room complaints as of several weeks ago, according to Marketing Manager of Housing and Conference Services Lynn Rotoli. "Back in October, Business Services asked us to do a process review, so we looked to see how we can improve our mail process internally," Rotoli said. Penn officials say the investigation into what happened with the missing mail is now in the hands of the U.S. Postal Service. Postal Service officials, however, could not confirm this. "We don't comment in the event of an investigation," said Debra Whyte of the Postal Inspectors Department of the USPS. "If you give out information then the person will stop or make it seem as though there is another problem and you will never find out the truth." "If there is information concerning the mail that has been turned over to us it doesn't actually mean there is an official investigation," Whyte said. More than 30 pieces of mail and 15 packages were reported missing, and the majority of the missing mail includes cards and packages which were said to contain money. Director of Facilities Support Gordon Rickards, who has been handling the problem from the Penn side, forwarded the student complaints to the Penn Mail Service. The complaints were then sent to the University of Pennsylvania Police Department. According to Det. John Peterson, there have been problems with mail service in the past when the Penn Police arrested a man in connection with a similar incident in 1997. But the department is not handling the current situation. "I know there is an active investigation with the postal authorities," Peterson said. "The complaints were filed back in February. It's an investigation, so it could break tomorrow or in months." Until the USPS finds out why some residents did not receive their mail, Housing and Conference Services, Penn Mail Service and the UPPD have no involvement in the event of an investigation. "We have sent our information to the proper authorities, and it is out of our hands now," Rotoli noted. "Until it's done we won't get an update because everyone is part of the investigation." In order to prevent similar incidents in the future, Rotoli said that Housing and Conferences services has put together a committee of seven people to brainstorm ways to improve the Penn mail system. "We will evaluate how to improve several things: getting mail faster, reducing costs and becoming more efficient in general," Rotoli said. "We want to requestion ourselves and see how we do business." Residents have not received an update on the status of the investigation since the complaints were filed back in February. But students said they have had no additional problems with mail delivery. "I actually did receive a card since the problem was exposed, and it was from the same person who sent me something earlier this year when I didn't receive it," said Amanda Codd, a resident advisor on the 11th floor in Harrison. Others who experienced problems are not confident that mail delivery to the high rises is improving. "I filed a complaint months ago and I have not been notified since then," College sophomore Alexis Marchio said. "When I lived in Hill [College House] I never had problems with the mail service, and here it has been consistently bad." But whether or not the Postal Service finds the root of the problem, residents are unsure of how they will be compensated, if at all. "I don't know that you really can compensate them," Codd noted. "I would just feel better knowing whoever did it is not employed by the University anymore. It would make me feel better to know that nobody else's stuff is getting stolen."