Station B changes address

People and organizations that receive mail at Station B in Rand Hall are getting a change of address.

In an effort to stem the growing problem of misdirected or untimely delivery of mail sent to campus through the United States Postal Service, the University recently announced a change of address at its largest on-campus mail clearinghouse.

"The optical character readers used by the U.S. post office will see our address line with 'P.O. Box' and then sometimes change the ZIP code, thinking it is intended for delivery elsewhere," said Brenda Gilmore, director of Vanderbilt University Mail Services. "We're constantly calling [the U.S.P.S.] to complain that there's mail missing, or that it's been all over the place before it arrived here."

Under the new system, the address line of mail directed to "Station B" -- which is all mail sent to ZIP code 37235 -- must be preceded by the letters "VU" before "Station B" and the respective box number, omitting the text "P.O. Box." All Station B box numbers have been amended to include "35" as the first two digits. The U.S. Postal Service also requests mail sent to the ZIP code 37235 be followed by a hyphen and the last four digits of the Station B number.

Gilmore said her office regularly fields complaints from intended recipients about mail missing in action despite being properly addressed.

"The new system will be more efficient, resulting in faster deliveries and greater consistency," said Gilmore. "[However], a great deal of mail arrives with only the faculty name or department. When that happens, our staff looks up the Station B number, which is time consuming."

Gilmore said these types of problems are fairly common at other campuses.

"Colleges and universities are unique specimens because they are set up much like the postal service, which causes confusion," she said.

Like Station 17 at the Medical Center, Station B is a contract post office with the U.S.P.S., which, according to Gilmore, means it offers "any service provided by the U.S. Post Office," with the exception of information relating to passports and armed services. The mailroom in the Hill Center on the Peabody campus is not a contract post office.

Because there are more recipients than there are boxes at Station B, more than 400 freshmen will share many of the 7,000 combination-locked boxes this fall.

"Students love getting mail, and it's frustrating for them and for us when it's delayed," said Gilmore, who described mail call at Station B as a social event.

Example
Old Address
Alumni Publications
Box 7703 Station B
Nashville, TN 37235

New Address
Alumni Publications
2301 Vanderbilt Place
VU Station B 357703
Nashville, TN 37235-7703