H. Campus Mail Services and Distribution of University Notices

1. Mail Services The Mail Services Department, located on the lower level of the O’Connor Campus Center, provides services through the campus mail delivery system and through its role as a contract station of the U.S. Postal Service. Postal services include money orders, registered mail, certified mail, parcel post, and the sale of all postal supplies. All incoming mail to the university as well as outgoing mail is processed through Colgate Station. During the academic year, the Station’s hours are from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. weekdays and from 9:00 a.m.–noon on Saturday.

Postage for professional correspondence is usually paid by the University or charged to a department. Official University mail entering the U.S. Postal system must be marked to identify the appropriate department or account to be charged for the postage costs. Personal correspondence to be sent through the U.S. Postal system must be stamped before placing in outgoing mail. It is suggested that faculty members contact Mail Services for advice on mailing manuscripts, books, or overseas mailings. 

In addition to the U.S. Mail, the Mail Services Department distributes official University mail and notices to departments, employees, and students. Outgoing mail and interoffice communications are picked up and delivered to university offices. This service is designed to provide an efficient internal distribution system for University business correspondence. This system is not intended to serve as a means of distributing personal correspondence. Other campus sources are available for personal communications. For example, employees may use the Staff Affairs Committee forum, or submit letters for publication in the Open 'Gate or the student newspaper to express personal opinions. Questions or concerns regarding whether or not campus mail meets the criteria as official University business may be directed to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Provost or the Director of Document and Mail Services.

In addition, the following materials will not be delivered via campus mail: advertising, solicitations, or promotional material for commercial or private activities or for personal gain; bulk mailings of materials that do not identify the originator and are not addressed to the recipient by name an d full address; and any type of material, correspondence, or literature that would be illegal for distribution through the U.S. Postal Service (e.g., chain letters). 

Mail items may be delayed or stopped if it is obvious that they are in violation of the policies listed above. However, sealed material will not be opened to review the contents, unless required by competent judicial or law enforcement authority. Complaints regarding receipt of personal or inappropriate mail delivered via the campus system should be directed to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Provost or the Director of Document and Mail Services.

All campus mail pieces should either be in envelopes or be letter size. Pieces which are folded should be taped or stapled shut. Interoffice envelopes may not be used to send mail to student boxes and Colgate envelopes may not be used for personal correspondence. Reusable campus mail envelopes are available from departmental offices and from the mail center. The name of the person and the departmental address should be used when sending interoffice communications.


2. General Mail Distributions For ecological and economical reasons, Colgate attempts to minimize the amount of paper that is generated and distributed on campus. People needing to communicate events or broadly disseminate information are encouraged to use the Open ’Gate, the student newspaper, and/or posters. When approved as necessary, the following are the types of mass mail distributions that can be used on campus:

A — All Employees or to the Colgate Community (approximately 940 copies). Requires approval by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Provost. Copies are distributed to each member of the faculty,administration, and members of the secretarial, clerical, technical, and buildings and grounds staffs. No names or labels are required.

B — Faculty Only (approximately 540 copies). Requires approval by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Provost. Copies are distributed to all faculty members, including part-time, members of the Dean of the Faculty’s staff, and appropriate Deans.

C — All Faculty and Administrators (approximately 610 copies). Requires approval by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Provost. Copies are distributed to all faculty and administrators.

D — All Divisions and Departments (115 copies). Requires approval by the department or division head. One copy is distributed to departments for general information for all employees in the department and posting on a departmental bulletin board.

E — All Students (approximately 2,750 copies). Requires approval by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Provost .

F — One of the Four Classes of Students (approximately 700–800 copies).Requires approval by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Provost.

G — Special Distributions. Requires approval by the department or division head and the use of specific labels.


3. Mailings to Students Each registered Colgate student is assigned a mailbox in Colgate Station. Student’s box numbers are given in the Student Directory, which is published in the fall term and distributed to faculty and departmental offices. Correspondence to a student may be sent without charge to their mailbox in Colgate Station by showing the student’s name, box number, and “Campus Mail” on the envelope. Colgate “campus mail” envelopes, which are used for interoffice communications, may not be used to send mail to Colgate Station mailboxes for students. All mail to Colgate Station boxes should be banded together and separated from other outgoing mail.


4. Employee Address Labels Labels are available for use in distributing official information to each employee, either with campus or home addresses. The request for access to this information requires the approval of the Director of Human Resources. Additional guidelines on the use of the available mail services are available from the Mail Services Department.


 Handbook Table of Contents