Dire lack of space in the Hinman Post Office has forced administrators to consider moving the College's Hinman Boxes from the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts to another location, or to consider expanding the current location.
Both options present problems and no changes are expected in the near future.
"It is very unlikely that any move of the Hinman Post Office is going to occur in the near future," Director of Institutional Research Chris Strenta said. "We are in the very preliminary stages of discussion."The post office has handled an enormous increase in mail volume in the last decade, according to Strenta. "The volume of mail has gone up dramatically, probably four-fold with no commensurate increase in space," he said.
When the Hop was built in 1963, there were originally 2,000 HBs. Now, there are more than 4,700, according to Post Office Supervisor Howard Durkee.
The growth in parcels has been even larger. Last year, there were about 5,000 parcels delivered by the United Postal Service from September 1 to October 15. Although Fall is one of the busiest academic terms because a whole new class arrives, Strenta said there are almost six times as many parcels as the 841 received in the same period in 1985.
"There's just no place to put them in here," Durkee said. The crowding is so bad in September and October that the post office stores packages in trailers outside.
The HBs were originally placed in the Hop to attract students to the art center's facilities and departments.
"The planning of the Hop quite intentionally included the post office as a draw and all of the windows looking into shops, studios and performance space were intended to attract people to those areas for participation in the related fields," Hop Director Lewis Crickard said.
However, after 30 years in operation, Crickard said there has been some thought that the Hop may draw large numbers of students regardless of the presence of the HBs.
Many departments in the Hop are now pressed for space as well, and may benefit from a relocated post office.
"Studio art is in particular need of additional space, although all four of the academic departments here have pressing space needs," Crickard said.
The drama, music and film studies departments are also housed in the Hop.
Moving the HBs may not be the best way to relieve the problem; finding a new location will be difficult. The space on the second floor of Thayer Dining Hall was considered but Strenta said it will not work out.
"The obvious question has been raised - is it essential for the HBs to be in the Hop," Crickard said. "The majority of our student advisory boards and our faculty and staff advisory council say yes."
Moving the HBs might hurt business at the Courtyard Cafe, which receives more than 90 percent of its business from students, according to Manager Cynthia Hart.
There may not be room to expand the post office in its present location. "I don't see any way of doing it," Durkee said. "A whole new facility would be nice."
The final decision will come from the Provost Council. It will be made in a three stage process. The process is currently in stage one.
First, the options are discussed with the Facilities Working Group, which solicit opinions from various campus constituencies. This group makes a suggestion to the Facilities Advisory Committee, which votes on a recommendation to the Provost Council.
Student opinion is being solicited through the Student Assembly, according to Assembly President Nicole Artzer '94. "I was talking to [Dean of Student Life] Holly Sateia," Artzer said. "She said that it would be a good thing to get student input on. I think that there are a bunch of different perspectives."
The Assembly's Administrative Affairs Committee is currently in the preliminary stages of considering the idea.
Crickard said he has received student input against relocating the HBs. "Students, however, have indicated that for many [the Hop] is also a student center and that the HBs should remain," he said.
