While the college has around 2,800 students enrolled this year, the mail center has only 2,628 mailboxes — posing a problem for the 300 or so additional students looking to receive mail. As a solution, the mail center has begun sending mail directly to the houses of certain students.
Jacki Galencamp, mail center supervisor, has overseen some changes to accommodate the influx of packages.
“Students living off campus and in three college owned houses — 48 South Street, Weybridge House, and Homestead — will be getting their mail and packages sent directly to their houses. Most students living in town were already having their mail and packages sent directly to them and didn't use their on-campus mailbox,” she said.
This change was not immediately communicated and caused some initial confusion for students.
“I was never told by anyone beforehand that I was supposed to be sending packages to my house, so I ordered packages to the mail center and then they told me,” Tanya Chen ’24, a resident of Weybridge House, said.
Will Reed ’23.5, who lives at 48 South Street (known as KDR), was also frustrated with the college’s lack of communication and discovered the policy change after he visited the mail center and was informed by an employee.
“But I actually am really, really happy about the change,” Reed said. “It makes it easier for all of the obvious reasons — less back and forth, no unnecessary time wasted.”
While Chen said that she is fine with the change overall, it may cause some unintended complications when it comes to her student visa status.
“I am an international student, so for tax documents in the U.S., it’s frustrating if my address keeps changing,” Chen said. “If I do have to continue changing my address every year it will be hard to keep up with that.”
On-campus students are permitted to keep their student mailbox and address.
Other structural changes this year have resulted in adjusted workloads for mail center employees. With increased student enrollment, the college has housed about 60 undergraduates at the Bread Loaf campus for the first time this fall, with others housed at the Inn on the Green and Marriott Hotel in town. There is an additional mail center at Bread Loaf, but the 20 students living at the Inn on the Green and 15 at the Marriott Hotel should still receive their mail from the on-campus mail center. Packages for the college bookstore will also be processed in the mail center due to the limited space of the Crest Room, where the bookstore is now located.
Lily Jones ’23 is an online editor and senior writer.
She previously served as a Senior News Writer and SGA Correspondent.
Jones is double majoring in Philosophy and Political Science. She also is an intern for the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs and on the ultimate frisbee team.
