*Editor’s Note: Christina Holt, director of mail services, refused to allow mailroom staff to be interviewed by The Point because of an “incident” that happened 12 years ago. Holt gave her employees The Point’s questions and emailed their responses to The Point.
The first week of school means different things to different people — whether it’s traveling to a school far from home, reorganizing a schedule or figuring out a social life. For many Point Loma Nazarene University students, it also means giving their dorm room a makeover or getting a new wardrobe. All those deliveries end up in one place: the mailroom.
The mailroom is packed with boxes of all shapes and sizes throughout the semester, but the first few weeks of the year are a different story entirely. The mailroom is filled with packages and a long line of students can often be seen forming outside its door. Gabby Starkenburg, is one of the many students frequenting the mailroom during this hectic time.
Starkenburg, who is an out-of-state student, said she feels she has to rely more on deliveries to set up her room and get her essentials. Since the beginning of the semester, Starkenburg said she’s received about 15 packages.
“I know that’s a lot, but I feel like I have to get a lot more, and I’m sure other students have to do the same,” Starkenburg said.
According to Starkenburg, she sees that there are primarily mini fridges, microwaves and suitcases being delivered.
With all these packages flooding in, the stress levels are high for the mailroom staff; but Starkenburg pointed out that even in the busiest times, the staff handles things well.
“When the line is short, the mailroom workers are very nice and patient,” Starkenburg said. “When the line is longer, they are still nice but seem slightly more stressed.”
According to Christina Holt, PLNU supervisor of print and mail services, the mailroom receives about 450 packages per day throughout the academic year.
“Last Tuesday, we [the mailroom] received 1,200 packages, totaling more than 3,000 packages during the first week of classes — and that was a four-day work week,” said Holt in an email interview.
According to Holt, the mailroom staff members have handled unique package situations.
Beca, mailroom staff, recalled a quirky incident where “a staff member used campus mail to deliver a plate to the cafeteria.”
Another staff member, Jacqueline, saw a first-year student carry a mini fridge to Nease Hall alone.
Maddy, another mailroom staff member, had to handle an animal delivery of live rats.
As the third week of classes gets underway, the craziness in the mailroom is starting to wind down, but it’s never completely over. Students will continue to send and receive packages throughout the semester, and the mailroom will keep running like a well-oiled, slightly chaotic machine.
Tessa Balc 
Grace Barrera