We all have mail, and at Seton Hill University (SHU) we have two types of mail: email and snailmail. Both have their pros and cons, but I�m beginning to prefer the mass emails to the massive amount of snailmail only because I�d rather open an inbox full of things that only exist in electronic code and don’ttake up physical space than a mailbox full of snails … I mean paper.
By Karissa Kilgore,
Senior Staff Writer
We all have mail, and at Seton Hill University (SHU) we have two types of mail: email and snailmail. Both have their pros and cons, but I�m beginning to prefer the mass emails to the massive amount of snailmail only because I�d rather open an inbox full of things that only exist in electronic code and don’ttake up physical space than a mailbox full of snails … I mean paper.
Whether you have a campus mailbox or get your snailmail at home, you�re sure to know that this is a key form of communication for our beloved SHU. What’s not sent through mass emails is bound to be distributed through the time-tested matter-based method. While it might seem strange to still receive so much snailmail in an age that generally relies on electronic communication, I can attest to an even more bizarre part of the campus mail system.
I�ve been at SHU for all four years of my undergraduate career, and I�ve learned the ins and outs of some of the peculiarities like computer lab hours, final exam schedules, the phone directory, and even Campus Connect. The mail system seemed simple enough to me, so I never put much thought into it – I sent stuff, people got it, and I got stuff in my box, too. I never questioned it until this year.
All year some kind of phenomenon has hit my mailbox with greater force than a baseball bat from a passing car. I don’tknow what to make of it, really. I get my mail and sometimes I get other people’s mail (but I give that to the post office folks). What I don’tunderstand is why I�m getting mail I don’tactually need at all.
I�ll graduate in less than two months (holy smokes, Batman!), but I�ve still been receiving letters urging me to schedule for summer and fall courses, and to reserve housing for next year. �Huh?� I thought. �Are they trying to tell me I�m not going to graduate?�
Well, no. And the only reason I know this is because I have friends experiencing the same thing.
Is there a way to prevent all this paper from being printed, sent, and either put in the trash or recycle bin? I�m curious not only because I�ve had to recycle two-fifths of all the mail I�ve received in a SHU envelope this year, but also because I know I�m one of a couple hundred graduating seniors and they�re probably all receiving the same mail.
It seems like excessive paper, but I know that in the background there’s probably just some giant list generating letters to all students. I can understand that. I�ve worked with a few databases and I know it can be tough to maintain them for what they�re worth. I�m not faulting anyone. I�m just wondering if there isn’ta way to keep all this paper from being wasted.
When I first thought of all this paper, my initial question was �Couldn’tthese just be more emails?� And then I answered myself without even knowing it as I asked some classmates if they checked their school emails.
So while I�m not registering for summer or fall classes, not reserving a residence, and not choosing a meal plan, I�ll be recycling with the best of �em and I encourage all others in my situation to do the same. I�m glad I�m getting a mailbox full of paper I don’tneed instead of a box full of snails I�ll never need … because I really wouldn’tknow how to recycle snails.
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