03.02.02 – Mail and Parcel Delivery Services
Section: Administrative Operations
Area: Postal Services
I. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this document is to describe the mailing services provided for all employees and residential students. This document applies to all faculty, staff, student employees, and residential students of the University of Houston who will use the services provided by University of Houston Delivery Services.
II. POLICY STATEMENT
University of Houston Mail Delivery Services exists primarily for the distribution, collection and processing of mail and packages of which the contents are related to the official business of the University of Houston. Official materials are those dealing with some aspect of university operations, which can be defined as being essential to the activities of the institution rather than private business or personal mail. The campus mail system is not intended for the personal use of university employees or for the personal use or private gain for non-university groups. Limited, occasional, or incidental use of mail services for personal, non-business purposes is acceptable within reason, provided that such use does not interfere with the ability of Delivery Services in its primary mission to provide mail services for official business of the University.
University of Houston Delivery Services is also responsible for the distribution, collection and processing of all mail and packages for each university-managed residential location at the University of Houston.
Campus mail services provided to university third-party tenants will be billed through the Administration and Finance Business Office covered under the designated common area maintenance fee structure.
III. PROCEDURES
A. UH Delivery Services is responsible for the establishment of a designated mail delivery and collection point for identified campus buildings at the University of Houston. Departments are responsible for the internal delivery and collection of the department mail from the designated service point.
B. UH Delivery Services employees will only deliver and pick up mail and packages once each working day from the designated departmental service points established by UH Delivery Services. If possible, UH Delivery Services will work to do a second package delivery drop for staff, but this is not guaranteed based on resource and transportation dependency.
1. UH Delivery Services is responsible for affixing postage to all outbound University of Houston official business mail and packages. Departments are responsible for separating outbound mail into specific categories: letter-sized, oversized, certified and international.
2. All official mail to be processed – both outbound and inbound – should have an appropriate University of Houston address and the correct zip code of 77204.
a. Approved Campus Address Format:
• Full Name (Person) – Required
• Full Department Name – Required
• Building Name – Optional
• Street Address, Room Number – Required
• City, State, Zip Code – Required
b. Any mail and parcels not adhering to the Approved Campus Address Format denoted above will be managed by Delivery Services as follows:
1) All incorrectly addressed mail and parcels will be segregated upon receipt.
2) All incorrectly addressed mail and parcels will be checked to try and assign ownership to a definite faculty, staff, or student member on campus by using the PeopleSoft database and all UH identification data in Delivery Services' possession meant to correctly identify the recipient.
3) If the steps above fail to define and confirm the specific recipient, the said package will be returned to sender immediately in order to ensure that the sender and recipient can promptly correct any addressing issue causing a delay in delivery.
4) Delivery Services' management may, at their discretion, override said return policy and send the mail or package to the department.
3. Departments are responsible for providing the appropriate Departmental Mailing Card (DMC) with all outbound mail. New DMCs are created by UH Delivery Services each fiscal year in collaboration with each College and/or Division.
a. To avoid delays in outbound business mail and packages, the DMC must be fully completed. A completed DMC is required for all departmental mail.
b. Mail or packages with attached DMCs where the barcode cannot be scanned by UH Delivery Services equipment will be returned to the originating department.
c. For additional information, please see the Mailers' Guide on the UH Delivery Services web site.
4. Outbound mail picked up from a department with a DMC attached which is deemed to be personal mail will be returned back to the department head for review and application of proper postage.
5. As a service to University of Houston employees, UH Delivery Services personnel will pick up outbound USPS stamped mail from faculty, staff, and departments along with official university outbound mail to be processed. However, employees should not routinely use the university business address as their address of record for personal mail or packages. Personal outbound packages may be processed by UH Delivery Services for a fee. For more information on mailing personal packages, see Delivery Services Personal Mail page .
6. Other than occasional or incidental use, personal mail interferes with the transfer of official correspondence between campus offices and delays the processing and delivery of university mail. This policy restricts overusing university resources to deliver personal mail and packages to university employees or departments. The University is not responsible for loss or damage to personal packages or mail addressed to any of its employees at a university facility.
7. A large volume of standard mail (catalogs, magazines, etc.) is distributed to University departments each day. University employees are asked to periodically review the necessity of this category of mail. When an item no longer serves a useful purpose, please request that the name be removed from the sender's mailing list.
C. Residential student mail and packages are delivered to each university-managed residential location at the University of Houston. Helpful information about mail for students living on campus can be found on the Delivery Services Student Mail page .
1. All residential student mail to be processed – both inbound and outbound – should have an appropriate University of Houston address and the correct zip code 77204. Failure to adhere to this format when addressing mail and packages will result in delivery delays.
a. Approved Residential Address Format:
• Name (Person)
• Residential Community Abbreviation, Mail Box #
• Street Address
• City, State, Zip Code
b. Any mail and parcels not adhering to the Approved Residential Address Format denoted above will be managed by Delivery Services as follows:
1) All incorrectly addressed mail and parcels will be segregated upon receipt.
2) All incorrectly addressed mail and parcels will be checked to try and assign ownership to a definitive student member on campus by using the PeopleSoft database and all UH identification data in Delivery Services' possession meant to correctly identify the recipient.
3) If the steps above fail to define and confirm the specific recipient, the said package or mail will be returned to sender immediately in order to ensure that the sender and recipient can promptly correct any addressing issues causing a delay in delivery.
2. Letter mail is delivered once a day and is placed in each individual mail box. Student Housing and Residential Life are responsible for assigning mailboxes once a student has confirmed their booking within each location.
Mailbox keys or lock combinations are provided to each student during the residential check-in process.
3. Packages are delivered once a day to the package distribution room located at each university managed residence hall.
a. Packages are delivered to the UH Delivery Services Central Sorting Facility and are logged into the internal package tracking system.
b. Students will receive e-mail package notifications, sent to their official UH e-mail address, when the package is initially logged in and when it arrives at the residential package distribution room for pickup.
1) Students have approximately 7 calendar days (5 class days) to retrieve their specific packages. During this time, a total of four (4) notices are sent to the UH e-mail address. If a package is not picked up, it will be returned to sender no sooner than the seventh calendar day. University academic holidays are not included in the calculation of days.
2) Package distribution rooms are open Monday - Saturday. Saturday hours are limited. For additional information, please see the Student Mail Information Guide on the UH Delivery Services web site located at https://uh.edu/af-university-services/copy-print-and-delivery-services/delivery-services/student-mail/.
3) Package distribution rooms' hours of operation, days of operation, and closures for Delivery change overs/maintenance will be based on the Academic Calendar.
4) Delivery Services reserves the right to make additional changes in operation, or closures, to allow for ample time for change over from semester to semester, including but not limited to mailbox maintenance, package room cleaning, maintenance, and computer/software upgrades, etc. Sufficient notice will be given and all changes will be broadly communicated.
4. Special Notices
a. Any packages which are marked with a special notice must be picked up at UH Delivery Services at 4211 Elgin Street. These notices are as follows:
1) Identify, Must Pick Up At Delivery – This is a package/mail meeting most of the criteria to be processed, but UH Delivery Services want to ensure the package is given to the correct resident.
2) Overweight, Must Pick Up At Delivery – This is a package exceeding the weight limit of 50 pounds to be delivered to the residential hall.
3) Perishable, Must Pick Up At Delivery – This package is marked "perishable." In an effort to keep the product refrigerated, it is kept at the main Delivery Services' Office.
b. These notices will show up in the top line of the e-mail residents receive when a package is logged in for the specific resident.
5. UH Delivery Services will forward USPS First Class mail and packages for 1 semester (time length will be determined by the semester, i.e., fall, spring, or summer) to the student's permanent address at the end of each term or cancellation of the residential agreement. For additional information, please see the Student Mail website located at https://uh.edu/af-university-services/copy-print-and-delivery-services/delivery-services/student-mail/.
a. It is the responsibility of each student that is graduating, moving off campus, and/or no longer a resident at UH to follow the procedures that will forward their mail to their new address at least one week prior to their departure to ensure no interruption in their mail services.
b. Students should request that any expected packages be forwarded. Forwarding costs will be paid by the student. Packages which cannot be forwarded will be returned to the sender.
D. Other Package Information
1. Suspicious Packages
a. Delivery Services has the right to quarantine any package that appears to be suspicious in nature.
b. UH Delivery Services follows internal procedures for suspicious packages from the U. S. Postal Service (USPS).
2. Lost Package
a. When notified, Delivery Services will work with the individual to determine whether the University received the package or not.
b. If Delivery Services did receive the package, all efforts will be used to track and locate the package, utilizing Delivery Services' internal tracking system.
3. Stolen Package
a. "Stolen" is defined as any package that is taken knowingly and willing by someone other than the intended individual.
b. If a package is stolen, then the intended recipient of the package must contact the UH Police Department (UHPD) to submit a police report in regards to the package. Delivery Services will be involved as much as it needs to be for resolution.
Issued: 05/27/1999
Last Reviewed/Revised: 02/11/2020
Responsible Office(s): Administration