NCCU Mail Center

The primary goal of the Mail Center is to provide mail service to the University through the following activities:

• Interoffice mail service to departments on campus
• Receive and distribute U.S. Postal Service mail for the University
• Process and dispatch all outgoing business mail for the University
• Record and dispatch all State Courier Service mail

The NCCU Mail Center is a service organization that reports to the director of Campus Enterprises. The mail center manager is responsible for the daily operation of the Mail Center. Specific duties of the mail center manager include:

• Interpreting and applying both federal and NCCU rules and regulations as they apply to the Mail Center
• Recruiting, selecting and training all Mail Center personnel
• Developing and recommending policies related to the daily Mail Center operation
• Handling customer concerns related to the Mail Center

The Mail Center is located on the lower level of the Alfonso Elder Student Union Building next to the Student Store.

Mailboxes are accessible from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Mailboxes are not accessible on federal and University holidays or special situations that require the Alfonso Elder Student Union Building to be locked at an earlier time. The Mail Center observes the following daily window service schedule for students, faculty, staff and customers, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fall and Spring semester; Summer hours of operation vary based on University scheduling.

Employees of the NCCU Mail Center observe legal University holidays and federal holidays as observed by the State of North Carolina. The NCCU Mail Center will be open on federal holidays that are not observed by the University or by the State of North Carolina.

Through the United States Postal Service, North Carolina Central University operates a contract station that provides many of the same services offered at regular branch post offices.

Students, faculty, staff and the general public can purchase stamps, money orders, postcards and envelopes. Faculty and staff members can also rent mailboxes. All services must be paid for with cash, checks, traveler’s checks or cashier’s checks, with the exception being money orders, which must be paid for with cash only.

Questions pertaining to the Mail Center or its responsibilities should be directed to the mail center manager at 919-530‐7262, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The zip code plus four digits for North Carolina Central University is 27707‐3198 unless otherwise informed.

The Mail Center provides interoffice mail service for all departments on campus. Mail Center personnel pick up and deliver mail to all departments daily.

Interdepartmental and Office Mail

Official mail going to another University office should be placed in an interoffice envelope and deposited at your regular pick‐up station. These items are delivered as a service to the addressee at no charge to the sender or addressee. Any misdirected mail may be placed with your next day’s outgoing mail.

Student Mail (from On‐Campus Offices)

The Mail Center provides a complete postal service for all resident students. Each NCCU department can send mail to resident students at their campus address without applying postage (see “Personal Mail” in the next section). Student post office box numbers are located in the SIS screen three to anyone with access, or you may obtain a student’s post office box number from the NCCU Mail Center.

Incoming United States Mail

The objective of the Mail Center in handling incoming U.S. mail is to complete a turnover of all mail each day, thus delivering all incoming mail on the day of receipt. Incoming U.S. mail is received at the Mail Center at 8 a.m. daily, Monday through Friday.

Outgoing United States Mail

Outgoing U.S. mail is picked up from each office at the same time that interoffice mail is picked up and delivered. The outgoing U. S. mail is delivered to the campus post office, sorted, and metered. A second pickup and delivery are made to the high-volume mail areas starting at 2:30 p.m. Mail that must be metered should be in the mail center no later than 3:30 p.m.; keep in mind that extremely large quantities of mail need to be processed early to ensure delivery for that day. All mail is then taken to the Research Triangle Park post office on Monday through Friday by 4 p.m.

Personal Mail

The campus mail system should not be used to mail personal mail; outside federal mailboxes have been provided on campus for personal mail.

U.S. Postal Service laws do not permit the NCCU Mail Center to handle mail sent between two persons or offices on campus without the appropriate postage unless such mail is University business. This means that the Mail Center cannot accept for delivery such items as greeting cards, invitations to private parties and personal letters. Mail Center personnel are required to return such items to the sender or, if no return address is provided, to deliver the item as a postage‐due item and collect the appropriate postage amount from the addressee.

Packages and Large-Volume Pickups

The Mail Center carrier is limited in what can be picked up on a normal pickup and delivery run. If your department or office has an oversized package or a large volume of individual pieces, the Mail Center needs to know of it in advance so special arrangements can be made. Call the Mail Center Manager at 919-530‐7261.

After Normal Pickup and Delivery

If you have mail that must leave campus after the normal afternoon pickup and delivery has been made in your department, you can deliver the mail to the lobby of the Mail Center, where there is a “mail deposit slot.” Any U.S. Mail deposited in the slot by 4 p.m. will be processed and dispatched that day. Campus mail placed in the box labeled “Campus Mail” by 4:30 p.m. will be sorted for delivery on the morning of the next business day.

Forwarding Mail

The Mail Center maintains a central markup system for the purpose of forwarding mail that has been delivered to an NCCU address, to a resident student, or to a faculty or staff member who has left the University. In addition to filing a Change of Address Form with the Durham Postal Service, faculty and staff members should file a Change of Address Form with the NCCU Mail Center. A person for whom the forwarding service is to be provided must sign these forms. One person can not request a forwarding service for another person. Change of Address Forms are maintained and upgraded for a period of one year. NCCU student residents are given information on forwarding at the end of each semester, as the process may vary from time to time.

Preparation of Outgoing Mail

Outgoing U.S. Mail is picked up from each department daily. Mail must be properly bundled in order for it to be mailed. All outgoing mail should be properly prepared prior to your department’s pickup or delivery time. Mail Center carriers only pick up mail that is properly bundled and prepared.

Separation of Mail According to Type

Each person responsible for preparing outgoing mail, interoffice mail and U.S. Mail should separate it in the following manner:

• First-Class Mail

• Third-Class Mail

• Fourth‐Class Mail

• Special Services Mail (i.e., certified, insured, etc.)

• International Mail

• Interoffice (Campus) Mail: No Mail Center Request Form required. All campus mail should be addressed to a specific person and must include a department. Mail without this information will not be delivered.

• Courier Mail Service

Mail Center Request Form

Complete a Mail Center Request Form for each type U.S. mail and attach it to the associated items and place them in the outgoing U.S. Mail container.

Addressing Mail

The address of all outgoing U.S. mail must contain the following information:

1. Name of addressee

2. Street address or post office box number

3. City

4. State

5. Complete ZIP Code

Outgoing U.S. Mail must be specifically addressed to the place where the U.S. Postal Service should deliver it. Mail bearing both a street address and post office box number will be delivered to the address shown on the line immediately preceding the city and state of destination unless the addressee has issued contrary instructions to the U.S. Postal Service. If the post office box number and the street address appear on the same line, the mail will be sent to the post office box. All addresses for U.S. mail must contain the correct ZIP Code. The ZIP Code assistance number is 683‐8061 or 683‐1976. The U.S. Postal Service recommends that to get the best possible service you should:

• Capitalize everything in the address

• Use common abbreviations

• Eliminate all punctuation (except the hyphen between the ZIP Code and plus four)

• Use two-letter state abbreviations

• Use Zip+ Codes

Return Address

All outgoing U.S. mail should have a return address, containing the same above information, to the sending University department. The return address must contain the name of the university department, and the University ZIP Code, which is 27707‐3198.

Mail Dimensional Size Standards

There are two size standards, a maximum and a minimum:

1. The maximum standard applies to oversized and odd-shaped pieces, which the U.S. Postal Service refers to as “non-standard mail.” It affects only first‐class mail weighing an ounce or less and single-piece third‐class mail weighing two ounces or less. Such mail in excess of 11 and 1/2 inches long or 6‐1/8 inches high or 1/4 inch in thickness will be subject to a surcharge in addition to the applicable postage and fees. The surcharge will also be imposed on mail within the above standard dimensions but whose length is less than 1.3 times or more than 2.5 times its height. The amount of the surcharge can be provided by contacting the NCCU Mail Center.
2. The minimum standard applies to all classes of mail and all types of service. All mail less than .007 inches thick (uniform thickness) will be non‐mailable. Also, items 1/4 inch thick (or less) will be non‐mailable if they are less than five inches long or not rectangular. Pieces smaller than the minimum size will be treated as non‐mailable and returned to the sender.

The standards do not apply to objects such as hotel keys, identification cards, and tags. Items thicker than 1/4 of an inch, such as film mailers, are not subject to the minimum standards but may be subject to the non-standard requirements, depending on the class and weight of each piece. Postcards and other cards are subject to non-standard and minimum size requirements. A measurement template can be provided to a department per their request. By following the directions, you should be able to determine if a mailing piece meets the maximum or minimum requirements. Consult with the mail center manager if you have any doubts.

Envelopes

For campus mail sent in an interdepartmental envelope, cross out the previous address and write the addressee’s name and department in the next block. Use the room number, the building and the department name. If it is necessary for security reasons to put campus mail in a sealed envelope, write or type the addressee’s name and department in the address area of the envelope and write or type the words “CAMPUS MAIL” in the upper right-hand corner of the envelope. Place the item with other campus mail for pickup.

When a department has over 100 pieces of interoffice mail, it must be separated and bundled according to the departments addressed. A large quantity of mailing to resident students should be separated according to residence halls and departments.

Mail to Residents and Students

For official University mail going to resident students: include the student’s name, room, number, name of residence hall or apartment and the student’s mailbox number. This information may be obtained from the Residential Life Department or NCCU Mail Center. Also, place the words “CAMPUS MAIL” in the upper right-hand corner of the envelope and sort it with other campus mail. Be sure that a department name is on the envelope as a return address.

Please contact the NCCU Mail Center for details regarding the State of North Carolina Courier Service.