Frequently Asked Questions

MSC sorts all mail that is delivered by the USPS Monday through Friday. The USPS may do a second delivery of mail that was not ready when the carrier left on the route earlier in the day. As a result, if you are expecting a package it may have been delivered on the second delivery run and it will be delivered at the next scheduled delivery time.

There is no "dead letter" hold on mail that is undeliverable. If a mail piece is undeliverable it is returned to sender.

Making sure that your addresses in your database are kept up to date means the intended recipient will receive your mail piece in a timely manner. Keeping your address databases up to date also allows the university and your department to save money on your postage bills threefold.

1. The university receives a discount on letters that are under 2 oz and the address is typed, not hand written. In order to receive this discount, the university has to keep addresses updated. This is accomplished when MSC includes an endorsement on each letter with "Temp Return Service Requested". This instructs the Post Office to look for an address change and send the piece back to the mailer with the corrected address. The department is then able to make the address change in their database.
2. The addresses are updated by the post office for 18 months. After that time frame the mail is not forwarded and returned to sender. If you do not update your database, you could send a piece to someone that has moved more than 18 months ago and the postage is wasted.
3. If you send a package through UPS and your address is incorrect, you will be charged up to $10.00 / piece.

Keep your addresses updated to save dollars for your department and the University.

Myth: It takes several days for campus mail to be delivered.
Fact: The Mail Service Center (MSC) delivers all mail the next day after pick up. Campus mail for Hovey Hall is delivered the same day.

Myth: MSC is in charge of all mail to the residence halls.
Fact: Residence hall mail is delivered directly by the United States Postal Service (USPS). The only mail that MSC delivers to residence halls is campus mail or mail that was incorrectly addressed from the USPS. All residence hall mail rooms are staffed/managed by University Housing Services.

Myth: MSC keeps undeliverable mail
Fact: All mail leaves MSC within 24 hours. Properly addressed mail is sorted the day it is received and delivered at the next scheduled delivery time. Incorrectly addressed mail must be looked up which may cause a one day delay in delivery. If we cannot determine were the mail is to be delivered, then the mail is returned to sender.

Certified Mail:
Certified mail provides you with a receipt at the time of mailing and a record of delivery. Certified is a good choice when you want to prove that you mailed something and that it was received. Items travel as first class Mail. Cost: $4.40 for certified plus $3.65 for the return receipt, plus postage, or $8.05 plus first class postage.

Registered Mail:
Registered mail is a highly secure form of delivery that is documented at each step of the way. Registered mail is best for sending documents or items that have an intrinsic value, where security is important. This mail is kept under lock and key during its journey and as a result it takes longer to reach its destination. Cost: $16.80 for registered handling plus first class postage.

Please refrain from having personal mail or packages sent to you at the University.

This does a disservice to yourself and the University. If you have personal mail sent to the University, then you will only receive that mail on days that Mail Service is open. If you use the University address for personal use it is permanent with the USPS. The USPS will not accept a change of address form when you leave the University. It will be up to the department to forward that mail should you leave the University.

The Employee Handbook states; "The Mail Service Center prohibits the use of campus mail service for personal mail. Personal mail should be sent to the individual's home address or Post Office Box." Employees may not use the campus mail system for receiving or sending personal mail. The purpose of the campus mail service is to support the necessary communications of the University business only. It also may not be used for purposes of organizations or activities not sanctioned by the University or for political purposes.

This includes magazines and catalogs that should be received at your own address. If you are getting "junk" mail at the University, then see "How do I stop receiving junk mail?" FAQ located below." Tip.

We receive a tremendous amount of this mail and it delays the processing of official University mail.

U.S. Mail (Incoming) - Each week the University receives 28,000 pieces of mail from the postal service that has to be sorted and delivered. This is done with 4 employees that handle the incoming mail along with outgoing and bulk mail. It is much easier to sort if your mail comes in with the correct mail code. Please check that your campus addresses are correct.

U.S. Mail (Outgoing) - Each week the University processes 30,000 pieces of mail. Following the mail preparations guide helps us process this mail as fast as possible.

U.S. Mail (Bulk Mail) - Each week the University processes over 38,000 pieces of mail through bulk mail. This includes incoming, campus and U.S. Mail. Following all bulk mail procedures insures speed in processing. Include the MS Job # on all information sent to mail service center.

Campus Mail - Each week the University processes 22,000 pieces through campus mail.

As a result, Mail Service Center is responsible for about 7 Million pieces of mail a year. This is all accomplished with just 4 FT employees.

Departmental

Name
Illinois State University
Department or Organization
Campus Box _ _ _ _
Normal Il 61790-_ _ _ _

Learn more about addressing mail to University departments.

Residence Halls
Name
(Room Number) Hall or House Name
Normal Il 61761

1. Screen your outgoing mailing lists for unnecessary or duplicate names.
2. Fold multi-page material and enclose in a #10 envelope to save the extra charge of sending a “flat” mail piece.
3. Do not over-insure; the vender will pay only the actual value of an item, not the declared value.
4. Combine mailings to the same location into one large envelope.
5. Use Priority Mail rather than express when two to three day delivery is acceptable and no tracking is needed. (Especially when mailing on Thursday or Friday)
6. Use bulk rate mail when mailing more than 200 pieces of identical weight and contents.
7. Use “Certified” instead of “Registered” mail whenever possible as it costs less and still (optionally) provides a (return) receipt and notice of delivery to the sender.
8. Use Business Reply envelopes provided by vendors rather than University envelopes and postage.
9. Use intra-campus envelopes for on-campus mail and regular business envelopes for off-campus mailings.
10. For faster delivery of your mail, type or laser print (not hand written), use black ink, all capital letters, no punctuation, and place in the middle of a white envelope. Also, by using the ZIP+4 code, your mail will be processed in a more timely manner.

Contact MSC before doing anything. We can give you different options in processing this mail. The first thing that needs to be decided is what are you mailing out. You have 3 choices:

1. 1st Class
   • No Discount, but fast
2. Presorted 1st Class
   • Discounted & fast, but must be processed by Mail Services as a bulk mailing
3. Standard Mail
   • Discounted the most, but slower and must be processed by Mail Services as a bulk mailing
   • If non-profit eligible, the discount can be even greater
   • If mailing list is mostly local, almost as fast as 1st class

When you include your address on any correspondence are you sure it is correct? If you are sending an e-mail, giving out a pamphlet or printing stationary, you need to make sure that the address is correct.

Doing this will insure that you will receive your mail in a timely fashion. Remember to always include your name, department, campus box number and use 61790 for the zip code.

The proper address format is:

Your Name
Illinois State University
Department Name
Campus Box _ _ _ _
Normal IL 61790 - _ _ _ _(campus box #)