SGA, URG distribute student survey on mail delivery changes
By Nachala Waters, contributing writer
The Towson University Student Government Association and University Residence Government have created a survey to assess how recent changes to on-campus mail delivery have impacted students.
Ahead of the fall semester, the university discontinued mail service to West Village residence halls, requiring all mail be picked up at the University Union Post Office.
The Post Office processed over 25% more packages after the change was made, according to an email from Pamela Mooney, director of Parking and Transportation Services, and Steve Jones, vice president of Operations and chief Human Resources officer, in October.
The survey includes questions regarding package locker usage, whether students have instead received mail off campus, accessibility, overall wait time and satisfaction, according to an email Monday from Gabriella Linsky, a University Residence Government representative in the SGA.
Once complete, the groups plan to present their findings to the administration, Linsky said.
“We only want to bring [the university] tangible, actual evidence of issues so they can see the damage current changes have caused,” she said. “Sometimes inconvenience is the cost of innovation and growth, but in the case of mail processing and post office renovation, many inconveniences such as delayed medication shipping or across-campus hauling of heavy packages are not simple nor are they unavoidable”
Package lockers in the West Village parking garage helps ease inconveniences felt by West Village residents, Linsky said.
Senior Bee Cigna created a petition in September to restore mail service to West Village, citing accessibility concerns, The Towerlight reported. However, because student petitions essentially cannot shape decision-making, the SGA began working to address the issue.
The SGA was not informed or consulted about the change prior to its implementation, President Jordan Colquitt told The Towerlight in October.
The SGA and URG have more access to administration to direct student feedback to the right people to encourage change, Linsky said. Yet students are not completely disconnected from that process.
“We have chalkboards in Freedom Square, protected rights to protests, means to petition and gather feedback, and the universal right to make our voices heard and demand that things change and that when they do change, these changes are made with the realistic notion that the promise of something better does not excuse crappy conditions until it’s achieved,” she said.
