2008 Woodie Awards
Campus mail carrier doubles up on duties
Ian Paterson
Issue date: 5/11/07 Section: News
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Also, there have been many concerns voiced by faculty and staff in various departments and dormitories, mostly echoing the inconvenience of the new mail delivery system.
"You can understand why they wouldn't be thrilled, especially [in the event of] inclement weather," said Hillman. "You know, you come down here and have to pick something up. You might have to drive, or bring your car - whatever method you use to pick it up. [If] you're in the athletic offices way up on the west side of campus, it's a chore. You can't walk, it's too far to walk. And time. It would take you … 15, 20 minutes to walk down here and walk back. We're looking at it, and hopefully we'll be able to return to delivery … I can't really tell you we're going to, just that we're hoping to."
After this interview, Hillman sent an e-mail out to those in various department positions and dormitories, stating that Lewellen will resume delivering mail to all buildings except the Sells Administration Center effective Monday, May 14 at 12 p.m.
However, while this plan was effective in the past, it was effective with both Roberts and Lewellen. Now that the University has decided not to fill Roberts' position, Lewellen will be left to do the work of two men by himself.
"If they go back to the mail routes, it's going to be a tough day," said Lewellen in an interview prior to the e-mail from Hillman. "Because I've got five hours, between 9 [a.m.] and 3[p.m.] to get the mail sorted, banded, do the route, come back and resort it before 3:15 [p.m.], because that's when the people from Springfield come in. So, it's kind of a time crunch, it's not like I can't do it, but I don't really have enough time. The post office won't let me come in 'til 8:30 [a.m.] So, by the time I get the mail loaded and unloaded … it's almost 9 [a.m.] before I can sort the mail."
While Lewellen agrees that delivering the mail to each building is far more effective than having each department come pick up their own mail, he believes that he will need some help to handle the load Roberts had been responsible for.
"Well, it needs to be two," admitted Lewellen. "It really needs to have two people; because there's no backup here … It's hot and cold. There's times when there's nothing to do and there's times when you can't get enough done. And you don't know, really, from one minute to the next, what's coming in the door."
However, Hillman has different plans for the position previously held by Roberts.
"We're going to save [Roberts'] salary," said Hillman. "That we're going to save. The money we're going to hopefully save in the mailroom, we don't know yet. We don't know how much that's going to yield, and we probably won't know for several months."
The plan to have departments pick up their own mail was short-lived, however there are still some things to be worked out if there is only going to be one campus mail carrier.
"You can understand why they wouldn't be thrilled, especially [in the event of] inclement weather," said Hillman. "You know, you come down here and have to pick something up. You might have to drive, or bring your car - whatever method you use to pick it up. [If] you're in the athletic offices way up on the west side of campus, it's a chore. You can't walk, it's too far to walk. And time. It would take you … 15, 20 minutes to walk down here and walk back. We're looking at it, and hopefully we'll be able to return to delivery … I can't really tell you we're going to, just that we're hoping to."
After this interview, Hillman sent an e-mail out to those in various department positions and dormitories, stating that Lewellen will resume delivering mail to all buildings except the Sells Administration Center effective Monday, May 14 at 12 p.m.
However, while this plan was effective in the past, it was effective with both Roberts and Lewellen. Now that the University has decided not to fill Roberts' position, Lewellen will be left to do the work of two men by himself.
"If they go back to the mail routes, it's going to be a tough day," said Lewellen in an interview prior to the e-mail from Hillman. "Because I've got five hours, between 9 [a.m.] and 3[p.m.] to get the mail sorted, banded, do the route, come back and resort it before 3:15 [p.m.], because that's when the people from Springfield come in. So, it's kind of a time crunch, it's not like I can't do it, but I don't really have enough time. The post office won't let me come in 'til 8:30 [a.m.] So, by the time I get the mail loaded and unloaded … it's almost 9 [a.m.] before I can sort the mail."
While Lewellen agrees that delivering the mail to each building is far more effective than having each department come pick up their own mail, he believes that he will need some help to handle the load Roberts had been responsible for.
"Well, it needs to be two," admitted Lewellen. "It really needs to have two people; because there's no backup here … It's hot and cold. There's times when there's nothing to do and there's times when you can't get enough done. And you don't know, really, from one minute to the next, what's coming in the door."
However, Hillman has different plans for the position previously held by Roberts.
"We're going to save [Roberts'] salary," said Hillman. "That we're going to save. The money we're going to hopefully save in the mailroom, we don't know yet. We don't know how much that's going to yield, and we probably won't know for several months."
The plan to have departments pick up their own mail was short-lived, however there are still some things to be worked out if there is only going to be one campus mail carrier.
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