Administrators and student councils are collaborating to help cure the package center blues.
Students hoping to pick up boxes from home or textbooks ordered online were greeted with long lines and system malfunctions this September, but changes are on their way—including new equipment and possibly a new contract for the center’s operation.
According to ESC vice president of policy Logan Donovan, SEAS ’13, a new server has been ordered to boost the speed of the computers, which have been lagging due to the increase in packages and data that must be stored. The package sign-out software will soon be installed on a third computer, and a fourth computer will be added to help the checkout line move faster.
The package center was also suffering under an unprecedented load at the beginning of this year. The package center received almost twice the number of packages this August as it did in August 2010—from 4,762 to 9,464—and the center received 30,812 packages this September.
The increased delays this school year were caused by issues integrating the software of the company which operates the package center, RECO, with the CUIT system, according to Scott Wright, vice president of student and administrative services.
He said that this September was chaotic, but they are working to ensure that next year runs more smoothly.
“The reason the package center staff seemed to just be standing there talking to each other was because they were waiting for the computer to reboot so they could go back to selecting the packages,” Wright said. “That has been corrected, so there shouldn’t be long lines at the package center now.”
Administrators and student councils are now focusing more on the efficiency of package pickup in Lerner Hall.
Donovan said that many students have raised concerns about the amount of time it takes to retrieve packages, both in getting the notifications that their packages are on campus and the wait time at the package center.
“At an odd hour you can run in and get something, but generally you have to wait a long time. And it’s not fair to kids that have really busy schedules,” Donovan said. “If everybody could get their package in five minutes … even if we went from 20 minutes, which is completely unreasonable, to five minutes, that’s still making things easier for people.”
Bobtom Flynn, CC ’15, was one of many students frustrated with picking up packages.
“I feel like the package center is set up so that students have the most inefficient time getting their packages. It’s literally ridiculous,” Flynn said.
If the problems with the package center persist, a new third party contractor may take over for RECO after Columbia’s contract with RECO expires in June. Though the concerns of the students are being taken into consideration, Wright said they were not the reason Columbia is opening up the contract bidding process.
“We’re not putting the contract out to bid because of the problems, we’re putting the contract up for bid because it’s due to lapse,” Wright said.
With the package rush over for the semester, at least some improvements are already visible, Michael Chan, SEAS ’12, said.
“I think they’re much better now than at the beginning of the school year. But I mean, whether we like it or not, it’s the only package center we get.” Chan said.
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