Mailroom Information

General Info

MAILROOM
The mailroom distributes mail to faculty, staff, sisters, and students. Mailboxes for faculty, staff, and sisters, as well as a general outgoing mailbox are found on the lower level of Lewis. Resident students should contact the mailroom to receive information regarding their personal mailboxes. 
 
PACKAGE PICKUP/DELIVERY
Students, faculty, and staff may leave items for pickup in the mailroom. Packages will be delivered to front offices, while faculty and sisters will receive an email notifying them a package has arrived. Special delivery requests are always accepted if needed. Students will receive an email as notification when a package has arrived in their name. All packages are to be picked up in the mailroom. Notifications will continue up to a week from the initial contact date. If packages are not picked up after the end of the notification period, they will be returned to sender. 

Mail Routes

Two mail routes to university offices on Main Campus are done daily (11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.)

During the route, incoming mail is dropped off and outgoing mail is picked up.
All picked-up outgoing mail must be sorted:
  • Outgoing stamped mail
  • Intercampus mail
  • Outgoing unstamped mail
  • Offices, please remember when preparing outgoing mailings to have envelope flaps down, not overlapping

All processed outgoing mail leaves the campus at 4:30 and is driven to the U.S. Post Office in River Forest.

River Forest Post Office
401 William St
River Forest, IL 60305
(708) 366-0977

Oak Park Post Office
901 Lake St
Oak Park, IL 60301
(800) 275-8777
 
For more information visit the United States Post Office website at www.usps.com!!

Receiving Procedures & Logbook

The Mailroom receives all small packages from commercial carriers (mainly UPS, DHL and FedEx), logs them and delivers them to the person or laboratory that they are addressed to. All packages are delivered as soon as possible, with packages requiring freezing or refrigeration receiving the highest priority. Packages are delivered at various times throughout the day, and as such, Mailroom staff members make deliveries throughout the day as well. While this may entail three, or even four trips to the same room, this policy ensures the speedy delivery of all incoming packages.

 

Delivery Times

There are no set delivery times for the couriers, so we cannot guarantee, for instance, that all USPS mail will be sorted by a certain time. However, with few exceptions, Campus Mail and First-Class USPS mail are usually finished being sorted by 3:30 PM. Packages are delivered as soon as possible, and most packages are also delivered (or notices left) by this time as well.

 

While there are no set delivery times, below is a listing of average delivery windows:

Usual Courier Delivery Times

FedEx Overnight (Air, Express) -  8:30 am – 10:00 a.m.

UPS   -   10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

USPS   -   9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

DHL   -   11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

FedEx Ground - 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Please note that delivery times tend to be later on Mondays.

 

Packages

All packages received in the Mailroom are recorded and must be signed for by the recipient, or someone we know to be a representative of the recipient.  All packages are inspected for freeze or refrigerate labels and for damage. Since we work under the assumption that all packages are critical to everyone, we will accept slightly damaged packages unless there is an obvious liquid spill or the possibility that items were removed from the package. Any damage will be noted on the package itself.


Please remember that you cannot refuse a package after you have opened the package. Only unopened packages can be returned to the shipper via the original courier without additional expense. Each courier has varying rules regarding returns and you should consult with them regarding returns.

 

Package notices are left via email notifying the recipient. You can either pick the package up yourself, or call Office Services at ext. 6758 to arrange delivery date/time. Please note that your signature in the Logbook is required before we can release a package to you. In order to speed the package delivery process, please make sure the sender puts a name or P.O. # in the address label whenever possible. This will ensure that packages are delivered to the proper people and avoid such issues as delayed deliveries.
 
Package Shipping
UPS - 8:30 a.m. each morning
FedEx - 4:00 p.m. every afternoon
USPS - 4:30 p.m. every afternoon
 
Please be sure to have all packages addressed correctly and closed securely.  If you need help finding a zip code, or in need of package materials please do not hesitate to ask.

Faxing

The Dominican University fax number is (708) 524-5990. 

 

Students, faculty, staff, and sisters can receive faxes at no charge.  The service for outgoing faxes for faculty, sisters, and staff is free of charge. The charges for outgoing faxes for students are as follows:

-          local numbers: $1.00 for first page, $.50 for each additional page

-          long distance numbers: $2.00 for first page, $.50 for each additional page

-          international numbers: $3.00 for first page, $.50 for each additional page

 

The fee must be paid to Office Services prior to faxing.  The document along with the receipt must be left at the mailroom in order to be sent.  Customers can wait while their documents are sent, or they can be put into their intercampus mailbox after document is sent.

Priory Deliveries

Office Services duties at Priory

·         Sort and Deliver Mail

·         Drop of shipments

o   Packages

o   Mail

o   Copy Jobs

o   Supplies ect…

·         Deliver mail and packages to offices:

o   ELS

o   SCLS

o   GSSW

o   Siena Center

·         Check Copiers

o   Paper

o   Toner

o   Staples

o   Paper Jams

·         Ordering and supplying all Paper

o   Paper is ordered by Office Services from Murnane Paper Co.

o   Paper is delivered to offices when requested (supply order forms must be filled out)

Mailboxes and Drop Off Locations

Mailbox & Key Distributions
Faculty Mailboxes
 

All full-time and part-time faculties in need of a mailbox should contact Office Services.  The request must include faculty member's name and the department.  Once this information is received, a mailbox will be assigned and the mailroom employee will show the new faculty member how to open the mailboxes and explain procedures on when to expect mail delivery in their boxes as well as where to put intercampus and outgoing stamped mail.

 

Crown Mailboxes (3rd Floor)

 

There are a limited amount of mailboxes awarded to non-GSLIS faculty members.  In order to request one of these mailboxes, please contact Office Services to see if space is available.  All Crown mailbox keys have to be obtained by the GSLIS secretaries.

 

Student Mailboxes (Coughlin Hall)

 

At the beginning of the school year a box is assigned to every resident student.  At the time of assignment, flyers are hung and an ad is posted on Campus News informing students of the key distribution dates and times.  Students are welcome to retrieve their mailbox keys at those times and fill out mailbox key form, confirming that they have received their mailbox key.  The mailbox key form allows Office Services to track keys.  Memos are also handed out at this time explaining to students the mailroom procedures and fines for not returning mailbox keys.  Whether a student leaves after the 1st or 2nd semester, KEYS MUST BE RETURNED. Fines will be charged for missing keys.

 

Intercampus Drop Box Locations

 

Lower Level Lewis, opposite side of Faculty mailboxes

 

Coughlin Hall on south side of student mailboxes

 

Priory campus across from switchboard.
 

Bulk Mail

The term "bulk mail" refers to quantities of mail prepared for mailing at reduced postage rates. "Bulk mail" means discounted First-Class Mail and advertising mail (called "Standard Mail" by the Postal Service). Discounted rates are available for other classes of mail, too.

Bulk rates are discounted from "single-piece" rates. "Single-piece" means that you pay the full postage rate; when you put a 41-cent stamp on a letter, you're paying the single-piece rate. Many mailers pay single-piece rates even though they are doing large mailings. Why? Because they don’t want to do any extra preparation work—they don’t have the time, or it’s just not cost effective for their business.

In order to send a bulk mailing out from the Office Services department, there are a couple of things needed in order to prepare for it:
 
Office Services Procedures

Get a mailing permit (permission to mail) and pay an annual mailing fee.
Dominican University Permit: # 1825

Pay postage using one of several convenient methods: precanceled stamps, postage meter, or permit imprint.

Make smart choices about the size, shape, and weight of your mail piece.
Smaller size, lighter weight = cheaper price

Ensure that your addresses are accurate; this eliminates returned mail and wasted postage.
When returned mail is received, please update address database.

Presort the mail pieces (separate or sort your mail by ZIP Codes).
Mailing Houses can be used to prepare bulk mailing, however fees are charged. 

In addition to paying postage, bulk mailers are required to obtain a mailing permit and pay an annual mailing fee ($175 a year for each class of mail).

To qualify for certain postage discounts, you must mail a minimum number of pieces:

Minimum Quantities for a Bulk Business Mailing
500 pieces for First-Class Mail.
200 pieces (or 50 pounds of mail) for Standard Mail.
50 pieces for Parcel Post.
300 pieces for Presorted or Carrier Route Bound Printed Matter.
300 pieces for Presorted Library Mail.
300 pieces for Presorted Media Mail (sometimes called "book rate").

Bulk Mail request forms must be filled out and given to Office Services to ensure both bulk mail and check requests are filled out correctly. Once check is received from the Business Office, an Office Services employee deposits the check into the Bulk Mail Account at the Oak Park Post Office.