Despite student complaints about the inconvenience of the new package pickup system and a lack of e-mail notification, mail services officials said the facility at 2025 F St. is running “smoothly.”
A “handful” of students told package services officials they did not receive e-mail notification of package arrival last week, but the problem has been corrected, said Nancy Haaga, director of Auxiliary Services.
“We’ve had our system technician diagnose and fix the problem,” Haaga said. “All students should receive the e-mail notification (now) if they have a gwu.edu e-mail address.”
She said students should also receive a slip of paper in their mailboxes within one business day announcing a parcel’s arrival.
GW decided this summer to require all students living on campus to pick up parcels at the 2025 F St. facility instead of receiving them directly in their residence halls. Officials said package security and student safety concerns following last fall’s anthrax scare led to the change.
Packages are then scanned by “The Arrival System,” a tracking system that ensures that packages do not get lost.
However, students said they still are not receiving notices.
“I didn’t receive an e-mail or a hard copy,” sophomore Adam Levine said. “The only reason I knew I had a package was because 1-800-CONTACTS e-mailed me and let me know (my contacts) should have arrived.”
Freshman Gregory Clarke said he received a note in his mailbox, but not an e-mail. However, he said the paper notification in his mailbox failed to detail the location of the package facility.
Students said they also find the location of the building on the south side of campus inconvenient.
Senior Johann Aakre said he made his way across campus to the new facility but was told by officials that they could not find his package. He said they told him to come back later in the day.
Besides notification problems, officials said the system has no problems.
“Many students and their parents expressed a high level of satisfaction with our services during
move-in,” Haaga said. “We received many compliments.”
Samuel Ayemang, an employee at the facility, said the system is efficient and has been successful so far. He said all packages are processed “within the hour” they arrive and that so far there has been no “back log.” Students waiting in line for their packages said once they got to 2025 F St., they had no problems. The longest wait time Wednesday afternoon was 10 minutes, students said.
When students arrive at the facility, they sign an electronic signature pad and show an employee their GWorld card. The packages are stored alphabetically on shelves.
All employees at the facility undergo two days of training before handling packages or the computer equipment, Haaga said.
Students have seven business days to pick up their packages. Haaga said all students have picked up their packages during the allotted time so far.
Haaga also noted that renovations on the building are finished, and that students can elect to have parcels delivered directly to their residence halls starting next week. Students are charged $3 for the first package and $1 for every additional package delivered.
-Julie Gordon contributed
to this report.
