Addressing Standards & Tips

Classes	Type of Mail	Delivery Time
Express Mail	Any mailable matter up to 1/2 lb	Overnight (Most areas)
Priority Mail	Any mailable matter up to 1lb	1-3 days (no guarantees)
First- Class	Any mailable matter	1-5 days (no guarantees)

Package Services

Classes	Type of Mail	Delivery Time
Parcel Post	Packages merchandise printed matter (nothing personal). More than 16oz.	4 to 7 days (no guarantees)
Bound Printed Matter	Printed matter (books) must be minimum of 1lb but less than 10lb	4 to 7 days (no guarantees)
Media	Printed matter (no advertising)	4 to 7 days (no guarantees)
Library	From one library to another	4 to 7 days (no guarantees)
Standard (formerly bulk mail)	200 pieces, same thing	4 days at each post office
Standard Automated (formerly bulk mail)	200 pieces, same thing	1 to 7 days
Foreign Mail	Anything overseas	No guarantees

The U.S. Postal Service now depends on automated equipment to sort the majority of letter mail. This equipment attempts to read addresses; therefore, customers are asked to prepare mail that is typewritten in high quality print. The U.S. Postal Service prefers that all characters be capitalized and that all punctuation be omitted. There should be at least two (but no more than five) full character spaces between city, state, and zip code.

Mail must contain an accurate and complete address in order to be efficiently processed and delivered. Each piece of outgoing mail must include the proper return address, with the appropriate department name.

In order to receive your mail without delays please use the following format.

YOUR NAME
YOUR DEPARTMENT
ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF MARYLAND
18952 E. FISHER ROAD
ST. MARY’S CITY, MD 20686

Note: Library, Campus Store and Food Service should use 16800 Point Lookout Road address for package deliveries such as UPS, FEDEX, etc.

All outgoing mail with the exception of bulk mail and packages leave the campus by 4:00 P.M. daily. UPS picks up and delivers packages by 10:00a.m. daily. FedEx picks up and delivers packages by 2:00 p.m. each day

First class mail in regular #10 white envelopes may be left unsealed with the flaps overlapping. The postage machine will automatically seal the envelopes as the postage is affixed.

Any outgoing mail that does not require metered postage must be sealed and separated from mail that is to be metered.

According to U.S. Postal Service Regulations, letters and postcards smaller than 3 1/2” x 5” cannot be accepted for mailing.

Drop boxes and drop-off points are located in the following buildings: This is normally the route.

Somerset (ARC)	Front desk
DPC	Career Services
Schaefer Hall	Room 234
Montgomery Hall	Room 45 –Division Office
Health Center	Front desk
Financial Aid	Front desk
Admissions	Kitchen area
Cobb House	Human Resources front desk
Public Safety	Front Desk
Boat House	Waterfront – office
White House	Front entrance desk
Kent Hall	Room 214 – Division office
Calvert Hall	President– Room 114
Calvert Hall	Vice Presidents – Room 113
Calvert Hall	Development – Room 109
Calvert Hall	Provost – Room 104
Calvert Hall	Dean of Student Affairs – Room 102
Calvert Hall	Public Relations – Room 101
Calvert Hall	Public Relations – Room 101
Rectory	Kitchen/Copy room
Margaret Brent	Copy room
LTR	Front Desk
Library	Circulation Desk
Library	room 225
Campus Center	Bookstore
Campus Center	Student Activities – Room 143
Campus Center	Food Service – second floor behind upper deck

Mail is received from the St. Mary’s Post Office by 11:30 AM. There may be times that mail is
received later therefore Campus Pick Up and Delivery may vary. We appreciate your cooperation
should this occur.

Personal mail is any mail not directly related to the operation of the College. As a courtesy to faculty and staff, Central Receiving will, during our regularly scheduled mail pick up, take your personal mail to the St. Mary’s Post Office if it is sealed and has the proper postage affixed. Deposit your personal mail in an outgoing basket bundled separately from College mail. Central Receiving is not equipped to handle personal packages and boxes, therefore we recommend that individuals use the U.S. Postal Service. Central Receiving nor the College will accept any responsibility or liability for handling. Central Receiving cannot apply metered postage to personal mail. Cash for postage will not be accepted, and personal mail will not be posed using the College postal meter or franked envelopes.

Faculty and staff may use the College address for receiving personal packages. When a personal package is received, Central Receiving will attempt to notify the faculty or staff member. Personal parcels will not be delivered by Central Receiving, but may be picked up weekdays between the hours of 8 AM – 5PM. Central Receiving would appreciate prompt pick up.

Central Receiving will forward First Class official college correspondence to faculty who are on a leave of absence. The College will not forward personal mail. Faculty should make their own arrangements with the post office to forward all personal mail.

If at any time, you receive mail that is not yours, please follow these procedures for redirecting it.

• If you receive someone else’s mail, check the address. If the address is not yours, place the letter back in the mail. If the address is the same as yours, provide a correct address or make a note on the letter so that it is not returned to you again.
• If you receive someone else’s paycheck or pay stub, please call Central Receiving, so that we can correct the situation quickly.
• If a person is no longer at your address and is still on campus, please forward the mail to the correct department and notify Central Receiving of the change

On-campus distributions do not have to be addressed individually. Unsigned communication, want ad-type notices, political material, and personal promotional material will not be accepted for distribution. No communications from off-campus or non-chartered student organizations will be accepted. Please make distributions at least half page or bigger.

All distributions must be facing the same way and banded or boxed for easy handling.

These are envelopes used repeatedly for in-house or internal mailing. Please use caution when using them; an error in the addressing could delay proper delivery. Take care that all previous markings on both sides of the envelope have been completely crossed out or blackened out. The addressee is always to appear on the next available line.

• Do not make your own envelopes.
• #10 white envelopes can be used once when you stamp or print “CAMPUS MAIL” boldly on the front. We request using a one-line format since more than one line can be mistaken for U.S. Mail.
• Please do not hoard campus envelopes. You can always obtain more by calling Central Receiving. To return them, simply put a rubber band around them with a note telling us to reuse, and put them in your mail.
• Campus envelopes should be addressed using name and department only. Consult the Employee Telephone Directory for Departmental listings. Please do not use abbreviations when addressing on-campus mail.

Letters are the most common type of mail. Dimensions of letters are as follows:

Dimensions	Minimum	Maximum
Height	3 1/2”	5”
Length	5”	6”
Thickness	0.007”	0.007”

When using window envelopes, make sure that the letter fits snugly in the envelope so that the address appears in the window and does not slip out of it. Do not use staples to prevent the letter from slipping. If an enclosure slips, use an envelope without a window

Flats

Flats are another type of envelope that the U.S. Postal Service handles. Flats are taller, longer, and can be thicker than letters. They also cost more to send than letters do. Any envelope not considered a letter or a post card should be considered a flat. The U.S. Post Office will not accept items under 3 1/2 X 5. All flats must be sealed.

Post Cards

Post cards are another type of “envelope” that the U.S. Postal Service handles. They are the least expensive form of mail. Dimensions of are as follows:

Dimensions	Minimum	Maximum
Height	3 1/2”	5”
Length	5”	6”
Thickness	0.007”	0.007”

Items, such as bottle caps and pens cannot be mailed as letters, flats, or postcards they must be sent in boxes or padded envelopes. Trying to mail these items in regular envelopes is dangerous because they can jam and damage machines.

First Class Mail in regular #10 white envelopes can be left unsealed with the flaps overlapping. The postage machine automatically seals the envelopes when the postage is affixed. The sender must seal larger envelopes. All mail with postage already affixed must be sealed.

Addresses are the locations to which the mail will be delivered. Every address must therefore contain: recipient name, department name, street address, city, state, and zip code.

Addresses should be printed neatly in the center (both vertical and horizontal) of the envelope. The U.S. Postal Service now depends on automated equipment to sort the majority of letter mail received from SMCM. Computers attempt to read the address on letter mail, so members of the SMCM community are asked to provide addresses that can be read and processed by this equipment. High quality print, all capital letters, and a complete address are necessary for efficient delivery. The following is an example of an address:

YOUR NAME
YOUR DEPARTMENT
ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF MD
18952 E. FISHER ROAD
ST. MARY’S CITY, MD 20686

Shipping

When shipping large packages or equipment, please:
1. Make your shipping arrangements prior to bringing the consignment to Central Receiving.
2. Send Central Receiving copies of all shipping documents and bills of lading.
3. Make arrangements to properly crate, palletize, and otherwise prepare the consignment for shipping is the responsibility of the sending department, not Central Receiving.
4. Make sure the consignment is properly labeled, including any special handling or hazard tags.
5. When dropping items off at Central Receiving for shipping, be sure Central Receiving is apprised of the location and the expected pick-up date and time.

Receiving

When large consignment is expected via truck, or other carrier, please:
1. Make sure Central Receiving is apprised of any special handling, live specimens, items that require refrigeration and any hazard concerns.
2. Pick up the consignment promptly, Central Receiving cannot store equipment more than (3) days without prior notification and agreement.
3. Supply Central Receiving with all pertinent documentation including PO number.
4. The mailroom staff will inspect large deliveries for possible damage, if damage is suspected it should be noted on the delivery ticket. The mailroom will call the ordering department and make them aware that there may be possible damage. It is the responsibility of the ordering department to contact the shipping vendor to make them aware of the damages and to resolve all issues related to damaged shipments. The Mailroom staff will not be held responsible for damaged shipments.

Central Stores

Delivery can take up to two working days for consumables, such as paper, envelopes, etc. Departments should complete a “Central Stores Form” requesting these consumables. Departments should keep at least a one-week supply. If you run out of paper before we can deliver it to you, picking it up from Central Receiving is permitted.

Financial Issues

The Physical Plant maintains separate postal accounts for large mailings and campus metered mail. Postage alone on large mailings can run thousands of dollars. To make sure there is adequate postage available for your mailing, please notify the Supervisor of Central Receiving at least three weeks notice of the projected mailing date. In the past, some mailings were delayed for several weeks after printing, awaiting funding for the mail. By informing us these delays can be avoided.