Information for STUDENTS - Central Services Mail/Packages Etc.
Information for WC On-Campus Students regarding campus mail and package services
WHAT WE DO at Central Services
The Central Services department handles all inter-campus, domestic and international incoming and outgoing United States Postal Service mail and package receiving and distribution at Washington College. We also handle all incoming UPS, FedEx and other shippers incoming packages for receiving and distribution at Washington College.
This includes the handling of all incoming and outgoing “student” USPS mail and packages, incoming and outgoing UPS and FedEx packages, but only for students residing on campus.
(Off-campus residing students must receive their mail/packages at their off-campus address or a PO or other box)
Students residing on-campus do not have individual mailboxes for picking up their student mail and packages. On-campus student mail and packages are sorted and distributed to them in house by the student's names during our posted hours at the student service counter. Please see information below for how to address on-campus student mail and packages.
Just a reminder - student's have 5 (five) business days to pick up packages received and checked in for them from receipt date before they are returned to sender, recycled or disposed of. Please see rules about incoming packages for students further down the page.
This department also handles incoming and outgoing packages for FedEx, UPS and other major couriers for the entire WC campus community. The Central Services department is a full-service mail and shipping center. The department also handles college specialty print jobs.
Student Package/Mail Services Hours
Located in the Casey Academic Center - 1st Floor - at the end of the WEST hallway
FALL 2023 & SPRING 2024
Student Service Window Hours
Monday through Friday - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday - 9:00 am to 12 Noon (beginning September 2, 2023)
Sunday - Closed
UPCOMING CLOSURES AND HOURS ADJUSTMENTS
Wednesday November 22, 2023 - Closed - NO SERVICES - Holiday Break
Thursday November 23, 2023 - Closed - NO SERVICES - Holiday Break
Friday November 24, 2023 - Closed - NO SERVICES - Holiday Break
Saturday November 25, 2023 - Closed - NO SERVICES - Holiday Break
Saturday December 9 & 16, 2023 - Closed - NO SERVICES - Winter Break
Friday December 22, 2023 thru Friday December 29, 2023 - Closed -
NO SERVICES - Holiday Break
Saturday January 6, 13, & 20, 2023 - Closed - NO SERVICES - Winter Break
Saturday February 24, 2023 - Closed - NO SERVICES - Birthday Ball
Saturday March 9 & 16, 2023 - Closed - NO SERVICES - Spring Break
Please plan accordingly.
During official closures mail and packages are held at the shipper facility until the next working day. These items will be checked in the next working day asap and then may be picked up.
OFFICIAL CLOSURES - What happens with incoming packages and mail?
During official closures mail and packages are held at the shipper facility until the next working day. These items will be checked in the next working day asap and then may be picked up.
**If you are a student that cannot pickup your mail or packages during the posted hours for special reasons, please contact us at: central_servicesFREEwashcoll
For students residing on-campus only, mail and packages should be addressed "exactly" as follows:
Washington College Student “First” and “Last” name and your Middle Initial or Name (no nicknames, please use your legal name registered with the college) 300 Washington Avenue Chestertown, MD 21620You do not need to put their graduation year, class status, dorm or any other information in the address section. Packages and mail are sorted by the student's registered name.
Students please be sure to use this addressing as your “Ship to” address for all items
you order to be delivered here for you.
Please be sure your Name is on all packages in the ship to or your package may be returned, recycled or disposed of accordingly. Please see the policy below.
PACKAGES WITH NO NAME & UNCLAIMED
Packages that arrive without a name on the shipping label are extensively researched by the Central Services staff to attempt to figure out the recipient. If this cannot be determined by information on the shipping label the packages are opened to see if they contain information to determine who they are for. (Once a package is opened it cannot be returned to the sender but can only be recycled or disposed of). If "no reciepient" can be determined, the packages are held in Central Services 5 days to see if they are claimed by the recipient by coming to Central Services with the tracking number.
If an unclaimed opened package contains food, it cannot be kept and is disposed of or recycled 3-5 days from receipt at Central Services.
If an unclaimed package is unopened it is held for 5 days and then returned to the sender if the sender address is available on the shipping label. If there is no return address on the shipping label, the package will be opened and the items within will be recycled or disposed of accordingly.
All packages that fall into this category are documented in Central Services for inquiries.
Students who are missing a package should come to the Central Services service counter as soon as possible with their tracking number to see if we have information on their missing package. We can "not" research a package without the tracking number. Students may also email us with the tracking number to check on a package not received.
Packages received at the college at 3:30 pm or after are checked in the next business day!
Off-Campus residing Student Mail and Packages
Students in Off-Campus housing must receive their mail and packages off-campus and are "not" permitted to receive mail/packages at Central Services. Please do not have your mail or packages sent to the college.
If you have a physical mailbox at your off campus location, you should use that exact address for all your mail and as the "ship to" for your packages.
If your physical off campus address does not have a mailbox you will need to go down to the Chestertown Post Office and get a PO Box with them to receive your mail and packages there.
How do I know if I have a package or a piece of mail to pickup from Central Services????
Applies to on-campus residing student and student organizations
FOR ON-CAMPUS RESIDING STUDENTS:
Central Services does NOT deliver packages/mail to the on-campus residing students
All On-Campus students are responsible for pick up of their mail/packages from the Central Services student window during posted operational hours in a timely manner.
Incoming mail and packages for on campus students are sorted in house by the WC Central Services staff. Students will receive an email from:
trackingFREEwashcoll%C2%A0
when their mail or package is ready and checked in for pickup.
Students should make every effort to come get their mail and packages within 24 hours of receiving notice. Central Services has limited space to hold large amounts of packages and packages not picked up within 5 (five) days are subject to our return/recycle/disposal policy. The package holding rule is suspended at the beginning of the Fall semester until the end of the first week of classes to allow incoming students time to pick up the items they ordered to start the semester.
Students who have received 5 (five) or more packages at one time, or over the course of days will be required to come pick up the same day once reaching this number of packages due to space constraints. Five (5) or more packages at a time can not be in holding for pickup any longer than one day.
Please only come and get your mail or package once you have received an email from the above address...even if the place you ordered from says it has arrived. You will get one email per package and one email per piece of mail. The email will indicate if it is a package or piece of mail received for you.
Students should plan accordingly for the number of packages they get in any given day and should plan to pick them up at the same time. All received packages for students must be picked up at one time.
Due to space constraints large packages MUST be picked up immediately upon receipt and notifcation via email!
At the end of the academic year, any mail that is not picked up is recycled the week after the spring semester finals. Any packages left at the end of the academic year will be reviewed and if the student is not remaining on the campus for summer session, those packages will either be returned to sender, recycled or disposed of. We do not forward/hold packages.
SENDING OVERNIGHT ITEMS TO STUDENTS:
We advise that overnight delivery be scheduled for Monday through Friday. We only have limited Saturday hours during the academic year that are for pickup of items checked in by Friday. No packages get checked in for issue to student on Saturday or Sunday. Please use caution when sending overnight (Priority Express) delivery via USPS on Thursday because it may not arrive until the next business day after delivery (Monday). We only get deliveries Monday through Friday for students.
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PROHIBITED ITEMS
Applies to faculty, staff and students
Grocery, Food Deliveries, Pre-Prepared Food and Perishables
Washington College Central services can NOT to accept grocery, food and or pre-prepared meal deliveries such as Amazon Marketplace, Misfits Market, Hello Fresh, Freshly, Hello Fresh, Dinnerly, Daily Harvest and so on. Instacart and other grocery delivery services for student are not allowed through Central Services. We do not allow pre-prepared food or meal services via Central Services.
Since the WC Central Services Department has limited days and hours, it is important that if you send small or medium sized only perishables (such as cookies, flowers, snacks, or anything small that requires refrigeration) to a student that you know the item(s) will arrive Monday – Friday. The mail and package center are not responsible for incoming packages requiring refrigeration. Perishable item packages that are allowed as mentioned above must be picked up by the end of the day that the student/faculty/staff member receives email notification of the perishable package or the package will be disposed of as there is no cold storage on site.
Central Services does not accept:
Large outbound packages for shipments on Friday’s due to space constraints.
All large outbound packages must be brought over Monday through Thursday.
SPECIFIC INCOMING PROHIBITED ITEMS
(applies to faculty, staff and on-campus residing students)
In an effort to remain aligned with the United States Postal Service policy and to reduce our liability, we will be implementing the following policy on December 1, 2021:
Washington College prohibits the receipt or shipment of the following via the Washington College Central Services department:
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Controlled substances
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Alcohol
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Marijuana (medical, synthetic or otherwise)
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Tobacco
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Any items containing THC
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Weapons/Ammunition/Explosives/Firearms
If a package arrives at Central Services with any of the above items, the item will be isolated and the appropriate campus authority will be notified to handle notification to the recipient. The item will then be returned to sender.
Central Services and/or other college officials reserve the right to open any suspicious package or mail.
Central Services does not handle/distribute student giveaways, gift exchanges, etc. Those must be handled by the department or organization who is sponsoring the project.
WHAT TO DO IF I "CAN'T COME GET MY PACKAGE
If your student cannot get here during our current open hours for special reasons, we can make special arrangements for mail or package pickup around those hours any time between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday and 9:00 am to 12 Noon on Saturdays during the academic year only. If a student needs a special arrangement they should call Central Services 410-810-7112.
Students are permitted to have a friend or roommate come pick up their packages and mail.
Are you missing a package (tracking shows it is delivered to the college)?
(Applies to faculty, staff, student organizations and on-campus residing students)
If you are expecting a package that is long overdue or the tracking shows it was delivered to the college and you have not been notified it is here ready for pickup, Central Services will do their best to help you locate it. Please email us at central_servicesFREEwashcoll with the following information so that we can assist you:
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Who the package was from
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The exact TRACKING NUMBER of the shipment
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A description of WHAT was in the package
Central Services will do their best to locate your package, however please be mindful that packages do get lost in transit etc. and you will be advised on how to proceed if your package was never actually received by us.
PACKAGES THAT DO NOT HAVE A NAME ON THEM
It is important to be "sure" your Name is on all items shipping to you so please be sure it is in the ship to address when ordering or on the shipping label if you, family or friends ship you something.
Packages that arrive with no name at WC Central Services with no name on them are held no longer than 5 days and are then returned to sender. If you have checked tracking or the sender indicates your package has arrived here, please email us with the tracking number so that we can follow up and let you know the status of the package.
Students - What happens to my mail and packages during the summer session at Washington College or if I am graduating?
Central Services does not hold mail or packages or forward mail or packages for those students leaving to any off-campus location during the summer months or for graduates. It is important that you change your address for any vendors, businesses, and organizations that you get mail or packages from especially for places where you get auto deliveries. Any mail or packages received for students who are not residing on-campus during the summer months will be returned to sender.
IMPORTANT: If you have received notice for any mail or packages prior to your exit from campus, please be sure to stop by Central Services and pick those up before you leave or the packages will be returned, recycled or disposed of if not picked up by commencement, unless you are officially remaining on campus for the summer.
We also suggest that you fill out a change of address online with USPS if you are leaving the college soon:
https://moversguide.usps.com/mgo/disclaimer?referral=UMOVEhttps://moversguide.usps.com/mgo/disclaimer?referral=SEM-exactD-B&kwd=USPSCoA&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_cmpid=13924279596&utm_adgid=123648268934&utm_tgtid=kwd-495563127&utm_locintid=&utm_locphysid=9007971&utm_matchtypeid=e&utm_network=g&utm_device=c&utm_adid=534158518727&utm_adpos=&utm_plid=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjN-SBhCkARIsACsrBz52hxr1dfn-E_Mb4yP8uFaih1bDDhDRq7nXZm8vVAPlQXUyd4A1_xgaAoCNEALw_wcB
POSTAGE & SHIPPING RATES
USPS postage and shipping rates, along with UPS and FedEx shipping rates are subject to each companie's rate changes at random dates/times. The Central Services Department has no control over these rates and when they change. Please be aware when budgeting for your mailings and shipping to include the possibility of increases in shipping and postage for any given year. Central Services does everything possible to secure the best rates/discounts for the college on postage and shipping and when processing outgoing packages for shipping will access and choose the most optimal service for the need along with the best shipping rates.
OUTGOING PACKAGES - SHIPPING SERVICES
The WC Central Services Department can process paid outbound shipping via USPS, FedEx and UPS for outgoing packages. We are also a pickup location for outbound USPS, UPS and FedEx packages that you have a pre-paid label on. Please stop by the Central Services general services window to inquire about these services.
OUTGOING USPS MAIL SERVICES
The WC Central Services Department can process outgoing USPS postage for both domestic and international mail. We do sell postage stamps as well. We do only sell 5 (five) stamps at a time. Please stop by the Central Services general services window to inquire about these services.
HOW CAN I PAY FOR PERSONAL POSTAGE, SHIPPING, SUPPLIES, ETC.
Central Services only accepts cash or most major credit/debit cards as payment for personal services. We do not accept college IDs as payment. Credit card transaction may only be processed for $5 or over.
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