Policy on Incoming Mail for Students
The address for student mail is:
FULL NAME
300 N College Street
Northfield, MN 55057
- Note that no box or room number is required.
- Each student on campus is issued a new mailbox each term. Lists of box numbers are posted outside of Mail Services.
- As mailboxes do not lock, keep mail box doors closed to prevent mail from falling through and landing on the lobby floor. Boxes fill up quickly for subscribers of newspapers and magazines. If a mailbox is full, only current newspapers, and magazines will be retained. Prior issues will be recycled.
- Parcels for students are processed as they arrive to campus. Note this may be after a delivery notification has arrived from the shipping company. Email notifications will be sent to the student’s carleton.edu email address when a parcel is ready for pickup. A reminder notification will be sent one week later. After 3 weeks parcels will be considered abandoned and forwarded, returned to sender, or disposed of.
- Photo identification is required for parcel pickup. OneCard is preferred, but not the only acceptable method (Passport, Drivers License, or other official State photo ID).
- Should you wish someone else to pick up your parcel, use the 3rd Party Pick-up form.
- Mail Services staff will attempt to identify mail or parcels with incorrect or incomplete names and addresses, but delivery may be delayed. Attempts to identify mail or parcels may include opening, however any contents of opened mail or parcels will be kept in strict confidentiality. If it is not possible to identify the intended recipient, the parcel will be kept for 3 weeks. After that time unclaimed or unidentifiable items will then be returned to the sender, or discarded if returning is not possible. (Note that the 3 week period begins at the start of term.)
- Repeated failure to properly address mail will lead to packages being returned to sender, or discarded if returning is not possible.
- We make every attempt to process packages the day they are received. If you do not receive a notification by the end of the next day after it was to arrive, please let us know. If you have a tracking number, please check that first, then include it when notifying us.
- Mail During Breaks and after graduation:
- Students who will be living in Northfield during winter or summer break may continue to receive mail through their original mail box if they have signed up for a break mail box. Sign up here.
- During Summer and Winter Breaks we forward mail home for students until about two weeks before the next term starts. Parcel notifications will be sent as normal, and should you wish Mail Services to do something other than hold the parcel until the following term, please contact us (x4151, mailservices@carleton.edu) to discuss options.
- During Spring Break mail will be placed in Spring Term boxes to await return to campus. Mail for students not on campus for Spring Term will be forwarded to their home address on file.
- Near the end of break, all student mail boxes will be re-assigned for the following term. Mail will be transferred to your new mail box at that time. New mail box lists will be posted in the lobby.
- Mail Services will forward the qualifying mail of recent graduates until December 31st of the year of graduation. After that, mail will be returned to the sender if possible. Packages that arrive through UPS or FedEx are subject to our 3 week package hold policy. Only Ground Advantage or Priority USPS mail can be forwarded. Other USPS services, UPS, and FedEx packages will be shipped upon request, but the student will be responsible for all associated costs.
- Note that mail can only be forwarded to domestic addresses. Mail for students with non-US addresses will be held until the following term, or returned to the sender if the student is not returning to campus.
- To update your address on file with the college, use the Alumni Address Update Form.
- Note regarding items requiring refrigeration or freezing: Mail Services does not have a refrigerator or freezer. If you are expecting or sending an item which requires cooling (cake, medicine, etc.) please check regularly, notify the receiver, or make us aware beforehand so your items do not spoil. It is not the responsibility of the Mail Services if your item spoils because it has not been picked up in a timely manner.
- Perishable packages will only be held for one week. After 7 days, or if visibly spoiling, perishable packages will be discarded.
- Carleton College cannot assume responsibility for items lost, stolen or, damaged during shipment. Issues arising with items after receipt by Mail Services will be handled on a case by case basis. Please contact mailservices@carleton.edu with questions.
Policy on Incoming Mail for Faculty and Staff
The address for faculty and staff mail is:
FULL NAME
1 N College Street
MAILSTOP
Northfield, MN 55057
Or, for Admissions:
FULL NAME
100 S College Street
Northfield, MN 55057
- Faculty and staff mail is delivered one of several ways:
- Five walking trips deliver to the majority of campus offices each weekday.
- A driving delivery (the Ole Run) to outlying athletic facilities, St. Olaf, and off-campus offices.
- Parcels which are too large for walking trips are delivered by van by the end of business each day. Should a parcel be needed earlier in the day for some reason, please contact Mail Services staff directly (x4151, mailservices@carleton.edu) to discuss options.
- Mailstops are maintained by Mail Services and can be found for individual Faculty and Staff in the Campus Directory. (Note: With the transition to Workday, this is a work in progress.)
- Mail for former Faculty and Staff will be delivered to the department for which they last worked. That office/department has the responsibility to re-direct the piece internally forward it, or return it to the sender.
- Mail Services staff will attempt to identify mail or parcels with incorrect or incomplete names and addresses, but delivery may be delayed. Attempts to identify mail or parcels may include opening, however any contents of opened mail or parcels will be kept in strict confidentiality. If it is not possible to identify the intended recipient, the parcel will be kept for 3 weeks. After that time unclaimed or unidentifiable items will then be returned to the sender, or discarded if returning is not possible.
- We make every attempt to process packages the day they are received. If you do not receive an item by the end of the next day after it was to arrive, please let us know. If you have a tracking number, please check that first, then include it when notifying us.
- With the exception of Residential Life employees living in campus housing, the college address may not be used to receive personal mail or packages. Mail Services operations are designated for College business and student mail and parcels only. If an employee has extenuating circumstances pertaining to the delivery of a personal package, Mail Services Staff will work to facilitate a temporary solution to the problem. A phone call or email request in advance is required.
- Note regarding items requiring refrigeration, freezing, or other special handling: Mail Services does not have any refrigeration or special handling capabilities. If a parcel is needed before it would be delivered in the course of normal business (usually mid-afternoon), or requires expedited delivery because of special handling requirements (ex: refrigeration, freezing, live animals, baked goods, flowers), please contact mail services staff at mailservices@carleton.edu.
- Mail Services cannot assume responsibility for items lost, stolen or, damaged during shipment. Issues arising with items after receipt by Mail Services will be handled on a case by case basis. Please contact mailservices@carleton.edu with questions.
Policy on Outgoing Mail
Off-Campus Mail
Off-Campus Mail includes all available USPS mailing services, UPS services, and FedEx services.
- Outgoing USPS letter mail may be dropped off at Mail Services, or it will be picked up by Mail Services staff during rounds. Note the department number to be charged for all mail pieces, and separate international mail.
- Departments are charged a 5% processing fee in addition to USPS postage costs for items posted using Mail Services’ postage meter. Mail that we apply stamps to will be charged a 10% processing fee.
- Outgoing FedEx, USPS, and UPS parcels with prepaid labels should be dropped off at Mail Services.
- Mail Services will ship outgoing packages with FedEx, USPS, and UPS. Mail services charges a 10% processing fee for each parcel processed in addition to shipping charges, though note that this fee is calculated after our discounts with FedEx and USPS.
- Stamps may be purchased at Mail Services, or ordered for delivery to departments.
- Contact Mail Services staff regarding mailings using Carleton College owned USPS mailing permits.
- While Mail Services can provide packaging for items at a cost, the sender is responsible for ensuring items are packaged securely.
Campus Mail
Campus Mail is internal mail, free of charge within the College, and includes delivery to St. Olaf College. The following four classes of campus mail are recognized by Mail Services.
1. Essential Carleton mail
Pertains to the academic, operational, or business needs of the institution
2. Graded exams and papers
Homework/papers/tests may be returned to students through campus mail. Note that any item with a visible grade is a violation of student confidentiality. Any such items received by the Carleton Post Office will be returned to the sender.
Graded items must be sealed to ensure no graded work is visible before tendering to Mail Services. Faculty and staff are also welcome to distribute graded items to student mailboxes on their own.
3. Carleton mass mailings (not individually addressed)
Examples include Carleton sports schedules, Rec Center schedules, Bookstore sale fliers, etc. which include information of interest to all students or employees of Carleton.
- The mailing must be endorsed by an individual Carleton student, staff, faculty, college department, or student organization, or it will not be distributed. The endorsement must be clearly visible on each piece.
- The MINIMUM size accepted is 1/4 sheet (4.25 x 5.5, or 2.75 x 8.5) on 20 lb. or heavier paper.
- Full sheet mailings intended for students must be tri-folded at Printing Services for efficient stuffing of mailboxes.
- Mail Services requires two days’ notice in order to guarantee timely delivery of a mailing.
- Mail Services won’t process any unlabeled campus mailings during the first week of any academic term. Priority is always given to external mail and packages the first week of each term.
- In order to speed up the delivery of a mass mailing, departments may provide their own student employees for the processing of the mailing. This requires advance notice to the Mail Services staff, and may be done only during regular Mail Services hours.
4. Mass mailings not originating from Carleton
- Non-Carleton campus mailings must be approved by the Mail Services Supervisor or Coordinator. This includes requesting a time to enter Mail Services to distribute. Carleton student staff will not be provided to assist in stuffing student mailboxes.
- The mailing must be endorsed by an individual Carleton student, staff, or faculty member, a college department, or student organization, or it will not be distributed. The endorsement must be clearly visible on each piece. If not, the pieces will only be distributed if they are delivered via USPS mail to individual addressees.