Despite the fact that practically everyone is linked in with wireless communication, the postal system has not yet become obsolete, especially not for St. Bonaventure students.
Even with our smartphones, we still make the daily trek to the Reilly Center to check our mailboxes in the hopes of finding a letter from a friend or a magical yellow slip that promises a package.
Sometimes the trip to the RC does not turn out as planned. Why? Because the post office is closed, leaving you with a yellow slip that now only serves as a reminder of disappointment or a package with nowhere to go.
Mondays through Fridays, the post office is closed from 12:30 to 2 p.m., which is unfortunate because on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, there are no classes from 12:30 to 1:30, making that time prime package-collecting hours. This is the time of day many students have a break from classes, and it would be convenient to go to the RC and pick up the care package from home or something purchased online.
If you have been to the Hickey at lunchtime, you know most classrooms are empty because most of the campus is trying to get a table in the dining hall. It makes no sense that students are unable to collect or send packages during this free period in their day. The post office needs to realize this is an inconvenience. Not all students have an abundance of free time.
It is not as if we can decide not to use the post office if our schedules do not coincide. Where else are students supposed to get their mail delivered to them? This is a service we rely on, but the hours are not very reliable.
These hours were changed in 2009 from noon to 1:30 p.m., not because it was more convenient for the postal workers but because “a change was requested by the faculty and students,” according to postmaster Jill Hale.
All efforts of accommodation aside, almost three years later, students have still taken issue with the inconvenience. Perhaps what worked back then does not mesh so well with the schedules of students and faculty today.
This minor issue could be resolved with solutions as simple as a suggestion box or an online survey. After all, the hours of operation were changed for the benefit of the Bonaventure community before. Who is to say that this will not happen again?
Packages should be redeemable during key hours of the day. Like the unofficial mantra of the U.S Postal Service says, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
The post office is here to accommodate students and faculty, and better hours would make life a lot simpler for all.
This editorial represents the opinion of The Bona Venture staff.
