Mail Policies

Use of the College Mail System
Marketing Mail Policy
Chain Letters
Hand Trucks
Forward Staff Mail
Forward Student Mail

Use of the College Mail System

The Mount Holyoke College Mail Delivery System operates for the purpose of receiving and delivering college business related correspondence to and from the United States Postal Service and private carriers. The system also delivers and sends U.S. Mail to and from the residents of the Campus.

• U.S. Mail that is personal in nature which is being sent by employees and residents of the College should be mailed using the blue U.S. Postal Service collection boxes located throughout the campus. Personal mail should never be sent through the campus mail system.
• The College's Mail Distribution System should not be used for the distribution or receipt of personal mail (posted or not), parcels, or any item not directly related to the operation of the College (with the exception of mail for on campus residents). Using the College's Mail Delivery System for purposes beyond what it is intended for adversely affects the level of service we are able to provide our customers.
• Cash is not permitted to be sent through the MHC mail system. Please make other arrangements for cash transactions.

Marketing Mail Policy

The college does not deliver "Marketing Mail" which includes catalogs and other advertising mail commonly referred to as "standard mail or junk mail". Marketing Mail is recycled. Both First-Class Mail and Periodical Mail are always delivered.

Chain Letters

MHC Mail Services will not deliver chain letters. Chain letters are a form of gambling, and sending them through the mail (or delivering them in person or by computer, but mailing money to participate) violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery Statute.

Hand Trucks

Hand trucks are available to students picking up large or heavy packages shipped to The Mail & Copy Center at no charge. Students who just need to use a hand truck for other purposes may rent one from The Mail & Copy Center. The rental rate is $5 per hour. Hand trucks are released on a first come - first serve basis. Hand trucks must be signed for and may only be used for one hour maximum. Students failing to return a hand truck will be charged the additional hourly rate if applicable or the current replacement cost. Hand truck rentals may be suspended during peak student receiving periods such as the start of a semester. During these times they are reserved for students who are picking up large or bulky items from the Mail & Copy Center.

Forward Staff Mail

The Mail & Copy Center processes and delivers official Mount Holyoke College business mail and student mail. The monitoring of the contents of mail is left up to the good judgment of the College community. We assume that all campus mail in our departmental mail system is official College business and not personal business.

Assuming that all mail in our system is official College business, we further assume that all mail in our system is related to the business of the department to which it is addressed and not to the individual.

Therefore, all mail in our departmental mail system will be delivered to the department to which it is addressed regardless of the individual named on the envelope.

If the department receiving the mail determines from the contents of the envelope that it should follow an individual that has changed departments, the piece must be re-addressed to the new department location and placed back into the departmental mail system. Otherwise, it must be processed as business related to the department to which it is addressed.

This also includes mail for people that may have left a department so many years ago that no current employees remember; which requires each department to keep an historical file of past employees with forwarding addresses.

Forward Student Mail

Student mail forwarding for summer begins after graduation and reunions have ended. Temporary mail forwarding orders may be submitted throughout the academic year.

NOTE: Mail is automatically forwarded to the mailing address on file with the Registrar's Office. If you do NOT wish your mail to be forwarded to this address and have an alternative mailing address for the summer, please fill out an online mail forwarding form.

Students who have graduated must register all address changes directly with the Alumnae Office.

Mail may be forwarded to an alternative address for a maximum of 90 days unless on approved leave from the college.

Only First-Class Mail and Periodical Mail is forwarded. First-Class mail includes bills & statements, personal correspondences and matter closed against postal inspection.

We will attempt to forward college / graduate school catalogs and applications, CD, video and book club mailings which require a timely response even if they arrive other than First-Class Mail or Periodical Mail (Note: the U.S. Postal Service has the final control over what classes of mail may be forwarded and may choose not to process bulk rate forwarded mail).

Packages, boxes, etc. that arrive via the U.S. Postal Service are forwarded. Anything arriving via other carriers is returned to the sender with a forwarding address if available. It is the obligation of the sender to forward these items.

Bulk mail is not forwarded. Bulk mail includes most catalogs, solicitations, and non-profit mailings. Bulk mail is recycled.

Mail for students that keep their boxes active for the summer is pulled and distributed first. All other mail is forwarded on a daily basis.

If you need more information, you can contact The Mail & Copy Center at extension 2462.