HUNTINGTON, Ind. (FDN) Due to renovations going on around HU campus, student mailboxes will now be located in front of Baker Hall
This will not only affect students living on campus but also commuters.
Russ Degitz, the new Chief Operating Officer, is in charge of the mailbox operation and explains the relevance of moving the mailboxes outside.
“The university made a decision that the HUB is designed to be a true student center, and mailboxes take up a lot of square footage. So that seemed to be a logical item to remove from the HUB. The new mailboxes will have protection from the weather and easy student access for this location. When it boils down to it the whole idea to remove them was to maximize the space for student use within the HUB.”
The mailboxes will be about the same size as the old ones, but students will not be sharing one with another student this time.
“The way is it designed each student will be able to have their own mailbox now. I know that when I was a student here I shared a mailbox with someone else for four years and even though nobody may intentionally be trying to pry into somebody else’s business or mail, sometimes you don’t always pay the closest attention and accidents happen where you open up somebody else’s mail or a package gets misidentified. So each individual will get their own box.”
When asked about how the mailboxes will bring students who live on and off-campus closer together, Degitz had a lot to say.
“I don’t think the mailboxes themselves will bring people together. I think the real opportunity here is with what space is freed up by the mailboxes moving outside. The HUB is the student center on campus and there are great designs and plans for students to use that space to congregate, to study, to socialize and a number of different things in the HUB from vendors and food services, bookstore along with other things. It will just provide a better space for that. We’re looking to design a welcome space for students and guests as they enter into the HUB, this will be taking place of the old mailboxes. It’s going to be much more open, which I am excited about. Then the rest of the space will be used for student activity. Some options might include things like additional ping-pong tables, pool tables, foosball tables, soft seating spaces for just socializing and connecting with friends. Additionally, commuters always have access and we encourage them to spend time on campus and the HUB would be theirs just like it is to those who live on campus. Commuters arguably my have a better benefit because it will provide that central location for them to congregate and enjoy.”
Once the mailboxes are completed students will be told when to exchange the keys they got at the beginning of the year for their new key in the mailroom.
The completion date of the new mailboxes was set to be done by October 1st but they are still under construction. The final date is estimated to be sometime towards the end of October.