Mailroom Procedures

 

The purpose of the Mailroom is to receive, process and distribute College mail in a timely, cost-effective manner. 

 

The Mailroom utilizes a variety of mailing methods including the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx. The method used will be based upon factors such as size, cost, traceability, and speed of delivery.

 

The Arizona Western College Mailroom is located in the Central Receiving Building, office hours Monday-Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The telephone number is 344-7511.

The Mailroom courier leaves campus at 8:00 a.m. to pick up mail from the Yuma Main Post Office. Upon return, both U.S. Mail and Campus Mail is sorted and then distributed to designated departmental locations and division offices. Outgoing U.S. Mail and Campus mail is collected from these locations at that time as well.

 

Outgoing U.S. Mail and Campus Mail can also be deposited in the mail receptacle located in the LR atrium or at the Mailroom throughout the day. Mail is collected from the LR site at 2:00 p.m. Mail taken to the Mailroom must be there by 2:00 to ensure it is sent out the same day.

 

Outgoing U.S. Mail is separated, then weighed, metered and charged to appropriate account numbers.

 

The Mailroom courier leaves campus at 3:30 p.m. and makes stops at the Construction Trades Center, Entrepreneurial Center, AWC Foundation, and finally the Yuma Main Post Office to drop off outgoing mail. 

 

Mailboxes for dorm residents are located in the College College Community Center (3C) Room. Mailbox numbers are assigned by Campus Life. Mail is sorted and boxed by noon, Monday through Friday.

 

Packages arriving by regular mail that fit into mailboxes will be placed there. If larger packages or special service mail (Express, Certified, Insured, etc.) is received, a pickup notice will be placed in the mailbox. To claim packages, the student must present the pickup notice and a picture ID at the Mailroom in the Central Receiving Building.

 

Metered mail is defined as official College mail from College offices, departments, student clubs, etc. that the mailroom weighs, affixes postage and posts out. This includes letter size envelopes, packages, large or overstuffed envelopes and international mail. Metered mail is not for personal use. 

 

All metered mail should be placed in official College letterhead envelopes with complete addresses. Metered mail is to have the correct, complete 15-digit account number in the upper left hand corner of each piece to be mailed. The account number assures that postage is charged to the proper department. 

 

Mail received without an account number on it will be sent back to the department for identification (it may have to be opened in order to identify the originator). Mail received with an incorrect or incomplete account number will be returned for proper identification. Each department is responsible for the proper use of its own account number.

 

All outgoing, sealed metered mail of uniform size envelopes with the same account number should be banded before mailing. Do not band envelopes of different thicknesses together. This could cause incorrect postage to be applied to some of the envelopes, ultimately delaying delivery. 

 

Types of metered mail that can be processed by the mailroom are: First Class, Media Mail, Library Rate, Certified, Return Receipt, Insured up to $500, Express Mail and Priority Mail.

 

Arizona Western College's correct mailing address is:

 

 

Non-metered or Campus Mail is mail that goes between two or more offices or between a College office and an employee or student. This mail will only be distributed if the items are related to official College business. This service is not to be used for personal reasons such as, Christmas or Birthday cards, party invitations, politically-related items, materials distributed by local service organizations, churches, schools or businesses, etc.

 

Flyers addressed to individual employees should be sorted by department. Normally, flyers will be distributed next day, but delivery is not guaranteed until the third day. 

 

Campus mail must have a minimum of the Division/Department cost center in the upper left hand corner for identification purposes. Be sure to put both first and last name of the recipient as well as the department name if a part-time employee.

 

Separate International Mail from Domestic Mail (Canada and Mexico are considered International). If you do not separate it, it may receive improper postage and be returned to you. 

 

This service helps departments reduce postage costs without delaying service. All non-1st class packages weighing 10 ounces or more generally qualify for UPS, costing less to mail than if sent at USPS rates.

 

UPS does not deliver to a Post Office Box Number, so be sure to include the actual street address. UPS insures packages up to $100 at no charge. If additional insurance is required, indicate the value of the contents on the package.

 

If a tracer is required on a lost package sent by UPS, departments need to supply the Mailroom with the following information: 

 

 

Mailroom personnel retains all other information needed to file a tracer or claim and will assist departments in doing so.

 

Outgoing UPS packages must be in the Mailroom by 9:30 a.m. to ensure that they are sent out the same day.

 

Maximum weight per package - 150 pounds

 

Maximum size per package - 165 inches in length and girth combined, with a maximum length of 108 inches per package.

 

Packages which exceed the size limit or are over 70 pounds are subject to an additional charge.

 

Arizona Western College's correct physical address is:

 

            Arizona Western College

            9500 S. Avenue 8E

            Yuma, AZ 85365

 

The U.S. Postal Service offers discounts for bulk mailings that the sender prepares and presorts.

 

Bulk Mail, or “Presort Standard”, is a domestic service only. Material sent as Bulk Mail must contain a general message aimed at all who receive it, rather than a personal message aimed at a particular individual. There must be a minimum of 200 pieces before qualifying for Standard Bulk Mailing privileges. Each must be the same size, shape, weight, and contain the same information. Pieces must not exceed 11 3/4 inches in width, 14 inches in length, or 3/4 inches in thickness. The Bulk Mail insignia and permit number must be placed in the upper right hand corner of each piece. The insignia may be printed on the mail piece or a Permit Stamp may be checked out from the Mailroom to stamp each piece. 

 

The sending department is responsible for ensuring that the mailing addresses are accurate and for giving the Mailroom an accurate zip code count and total. Mail must be boxed, sorted, and labeled correctly following the instructions available from the Mailroom. If the mailing is not sorted and/or labeled properly, the Mailroom may return the mailing to the sending department for correction.

 

Allow one full business day for the Mailroom to review the mailing and process the required USPS mailing forms. Additional information regarding rates can be obtained by contacting the Mailroom.

Fed-Ex, UPS and USPS services are available to send overnight packages. Packages to be sent overnight must be in the Mailroom by 1:30 p.m. to be processed the same day. The preferred overnight carrier may be requested however, mailroom personnel will make the final determination as to the most cost-effective and/or efficient service to be used.

 

The College requires all faculty and staff to receive their personal mail at home or permanent address. Any mail not relating to your job is considered personal and may include, but is not limited to: bank/credit union statements, utility bills, driver's licenses, credit card bills, etc. AWC should not be given as your permanent address unless you live on campus. All mail addressed to Arizona Western College is College property and subject to be opened to identify checks, payments, invoices or other College business. 

 

Outgoing personal mail is handled along with College mail. You may deposit your outgoing personal mail in the mail receptacle in the LR atrium or take it directly to the Mailroom. Outgoing personal mail must be sealed and must have the proper postage affixed prior to depositing in the mail receptacle. For your convenience, a limited supply of various denominations of U.S. postage stamps is available at the Mailroom. DO NOT attach cash or coin to your outgoing mail or ask Mailroom personnel delivering in your area to purchase your stamps for you. Be sure to include your return address on all personal mail. 

 

Correspondence with our Health Care provider is considered personal and must have postage affixed. 

 

Due to the high volume of College business mail, employees are required to mail personal packages at commercial sites off-campus. The time mailroom staff spends processing personal packages is time taken away from the very important task of receiving, sorting and distributing College mail.