Simpson has moved the mailroom and print center to the Spirit Shop, so students will be getting their mail and merchandise from the same place as of March 11. The shop will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to effectively provide this wide variety of services. Until the construction is complete, students can continue picking up their mail as usual.
Todd Shayler, director of conferences, events and retail operations, described the change.
“All the mail will be coming to the empty desk that right now juts out into the middle of the Spirit Shop floor,” he said.
To accomplish this change, construction workers made two holes in the wall separating the mailroom and the Spirit Shop, one for front-of-house and the other for back-end operations. These holes allow all deliveries to come to the same place in the back of the Spirit Shop and be seamlessly moved to their correct location.
Shayler elaborated on why the administration made this decision: “We’re kind of looking at a one-stop shop for everything on campus.”
He believes it will be more convenient for students to only have to come to one location.
Shayler will oversee and have staff perform tasks for all these operations, which saves the college money. He will also be responsible for approving requests for off-campus print jobs by departments.
Avalene Plantz, a junior human services major who works in the mailroom, voiced her feelings about the consolidation and taking on these new tasks.
“I know what to do working in the mailroom, so having to learn all these new things is kind of a lot,” said Plantz. “It won’t be just going on the route and delivering mail.”
Plantz’s current supervisor, Jessica Danielson, will work in the business office now instead of the mailroom.
“People in the mailroom are leaving because of this change, and it kind of breaks my heart,” Plantz said.
However, Plantz said she looks forward to working with her new boss.
While this consolidation will be an adjustment for students and staff alike, Shayler believes it is for the best.
“It brings all services under one director who can oversee and make operational changes that are in the best interest of campus,” Shayler said.
Additionally, it allows Shayler to interact with students he would not normally see, so he can make decisions about Spirit Shop products and procedures that benefit them.
If any students are frustrated about the school focusing money on Kent instead of other areas, Shayler said not to worry: “This was a very minimal, low-cost renovation. We slapped some holes in the wall that was already existing to make it more operationally efficient.”
Due to this construction, Shayler can see into the Spirit Shop, the print shop and the mailroom from his office to better manage this multifaceted location.
Shayler encouraged students to check out the store for new items coming in, especially for the Thunder bobbleheads coming soon.
