Mail Room Policy and Procedures

The Mail Room receives and processes daily mail for all campus departments. Mail received from the US Postal Service for which postage has been paid will be delivered to campus mail boxes. To allow time for sorting and for best mail service, mail should be picked up in late morning or in the afternoon. This is especially true of Mondays or days after holidays.

* Please bring your key when picking up mail from your mailbox.
* For zip code information, please call the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) at 657-5709.
* Canadian Postal Codes can be found on Canada Post's website at www.canadapost.ca.

The Mail Room services should be used for official campus business only. Personal messages between on-campus persons will not be delivered, but will be returned to the sender. Examples of on-campus communications which will not be delivered include Christmas cards and political solicitations for either money or votes.

* The Bookstore sells stamps.
* The U.S. Postal Service hours are 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

DEPARTMENTAL ACCOUNT NUMBERS
On all out-going mail and business reply envelopes, a departmental responsibility center number must be on the envelope under the return address. This is necessary so the Mail Room can recharge your account for postage.

* Improperly prepared outgoing mail will be opened to identify the department and returned to the department for account identification.

CAMPUS COMMUNICATIONS
Campus communications involving official campus business will be delivered to campus mail boxes. Only official campus correspondence is to be sent through campus mail in "campus communications" or MSU Billings "return address" envelopes. Do not send campus mail to just a name; please include the departmental name as well as the person's name.

* Please separate mail going to campus addresses from that going off campus. That way you will not be charged postage for the on-campus mail.

RESIDENCE HALLS COMMUNICATIONS
Do not include the residence hall mail as out-going, off campus mail. Residence hall mail is considered Campus Communication and should be clearly labeled as such.

OUTGOING MAIL PROCEDURES
Outgoing first class mail must be received in the mail room no later than 2:30 p.m. daily in order to be processed the same day. If you have a mailing that must go out immediately, please do not wait until 2:30 to get it to the Mail Room.

All mail is sent first class unless otherwise specified.  The mail room can insure or send registered or certified first class mail. It is necessary to specify when special handling is required. Federal Express and DHL service is also available.

Regular size (#10) envelopes may be left unsealed. They can be sealed by the postage machine if the flaps are left extended (overlapping each other). When putting mail in envelopes, please make sure that the contents are completely in the envelope so contents do not fall out and the flap can be sealed easily.

Envelopes of odd size or large envelopes must be sealed by the sender. The sealing machine cannot handle these odd sizes.

If you must use paper clips on the contents of envelopes, please make sure that the paper clips are at the bottom of the envelope; otherwise the envelope will jam in the machine.

PLEASE DO NOT PUT LARGE CLAMPS IN ENVELOPES.

• FedEx
• UPS
• USPS
  In order to track your packages you must have the tracking number off the package.

FOREIGN MAIL
Please place foreign mail on the top of a mail bundle.  Names of foreign countries must be included on foreign mail, and the country's name must be spelled out. Do not abbreviate a foreign country's name. EXAMPLE: "Canada" must be spelled out on mail going to Canada. It is not correct to just indicate the Canadian Province, or to abbreviate "CA" -- this is the USPS abbreviation for California.  Canadian Postal Codes can be found on Canada Post's website at www.canadapost.ca.  Appropriate customs forms must be filled out for all foreign packages.  Customs forms may be picked up from Mail Room.

BULK MAILING PROCEDURES
If you have large quantities of mail (200 pieces or more), please follow the Bulk Mailing Procedures. This will lower the postage rate considerably.

A bulk mailing must include at least 200 pieces, none of it foreign. All pieces in a bundle must be the same size and weight and face the same direction. Bundles must not contain less then ten (10) pieces.  An exact count of the pieces in on a zip code form must be presented with the bulk mailing.  The permit number and bulk mail insignia should be in the upper right corner of each envelope, with the return address in the upper left corner. Detailed instructions on sorting large mailings may be obtained from the mail room. Please be sure that the departmental account number is on the bulk mailing paperwork.

In order for a bulk mailing to go to the post office on the same day it is delivered to the mailroom, it has to be in the mailroom by 11:00 a.m.  The post office does not process bulk mailings immediately, so be advised that if you have time sensitive material not to wait too long on preparing the mailing to go to the post office.

BUSINESS REPLY MAIL

Please be sure that the departmental account number is on all business reply envelopes. The USPS has strict requirements on Business Reply Mail. Please see Barb Shafer for specifications before you have envelopes printed.

Questions? Email businessoffice@msubillings.edu