By Jessica Mize
A quick glance around campus and it’s clear that the University of Houston is in the middle of a growth spurt. From parking garages to residence halls and TDECU Stadium, lots of new structures have popped up on campus over the last several years, with more still to come.
In addition to this growth, the University has seen record-high figures for not only on-campus residents, but also enrolled students as a whole. While all of this expansion is great and to be expected for one of the nation’s leading research universities, the increase in buildings and people on campus has forced departments like UH’s Postal Services to reassess their operations to ensure the needs of the campus community are being met.
“We are working more closely with the United States Postal Services to provide enhanced services to our campus,” said Deborah Davis, director of Auxiliary Services. “For instance, the change in classification of our 77204 zip code will allow us to modify the addresses of our residential halls which will improve efficiency between UH Postal Services and USPS.”
Not just mindful of how the growth on campus might affect their business, UH Postal Services works hard to also stay abreast of industry trends and changes, like the recent decision by the USPS to shut down three sorting facilities.
Mail from Baton Rouge, Beaumont and the former downtown Houston processing facility now funnels through just one office, located right here in Houston. UH Postal Services has seen an increase in the number of days it takes items to arrive on campus. For example, items arriving from Dallas that typically took three days to arrive on campus are now taking up to six days.
While UH is not alone in experiencing longer delivery times, there are some things that customers can do to help expedite processing times.
"The Mailer's Guide section of our website provides useful information from daily operations to mail handling and addressing tips,” said Davis. “It’s a good idea to frequently check the website for any additional updates and tips we may post.”
Just as the University as a whole continues to grow and evolve, so does UH Postal Services. While its processes and operations may change over time, one thing is sure to remain constant – its commitment to the UH community.