New, locked mailboxes were installed in Crestview Hall in time for the spring semester. These replaced the former, cubby-style mailboxes.

Brigette Adams, faculty secretary of the School of Social Sciences, said the mailboxes were installed the week before the spring semester started.

“A crew from the Physical Plant came over to help us with putting them
together and installing them,” Adams said.

Bob Snip, Physical Plant main director, said a crew of three assembled and installed the mailboxes the week before the semester began.

Adams said the new mailboxes were necessary because of security issues they had with the previous, open mailboxes.

“Some faculty members receive free book samples and some of those have been stolen,” she said.

Adams also said, while the previous open mailboxes were convenient for students and others to leave items for faculty members, they could never be sure if the items would be received.

Snip said all the other schools on campus have secure mail locations.

Alan Wild, adjunct lecturer of journalism, said they are safer but a little more labor intensive for the faculty, for people dropping items off and for the secretaries who will have to take on the responsibility of getting items into the mailboxes.

Linda Gugin, political science professor, said she thinks it’s a good idea to have locked mailboxes but she’s not completely satisfied with them.

“I wish they had slots so people could drop things off,” she said.

”We thought that’s what we were getting. And the combinations can be a challenge.”

Wild agreed and jokingly said figuring out the combination is like trying to figure out the tax code.

Adams said she likes the new mailboxes because they are secure.

Adams said there are enough of them so that they have room to expand if the size of the Social Sciences faculty increases.

“They look nice,” Wild said, “The old ones were showing their age. Overall it’s a good idea.”

By DARIENNE ARCURI
Staff Writer
darcuri@ius.edu