These “kiosks,” soon to be installed at strategic locations throughout Lerner, were spotted in the package center yesterday. With input from package kiosks, the package center will learn of a student’s impending arrival through a mounted screen similar to the kind used to organize orders at McDonalds, and the student’s package(s) will be available for convenient (and queue-less) pick up.

Amen.

Sean Zimmermann reports from last night’s Engineering Student Council Meeting.

We wonder if the Package Center ordered their new computer with Amazon Prime

• Bacchanal President Daniel Weinstein presented the group’s financial status to ESC, pleading that their current financial problems are the fault of university administration. As it stands, their budget is $38,000 less than it was last year. Bacchanal has already canceled its Fall concert (which costs $14,000) due to lack of funds.
• ESC voted to conditionally fund Bacchanal $18,000 in ratio ($2,980 from ESC) pending an the results of a student-run audit into whether the problem was actually due to administrative error or poor planning by Bacchanal. The proposal is intended to allow Bacchanal to have a minimum budget so they can negotiate contracts. If the administration was at fault, and does partially reimburse Bacchanal, then the amount provided by the councils will be reduced accordingly.
• VP Policy Logan Donovan reported that a new computer will be installed in the Lerner Package Center. This should increase the number of students that can pick up packages simultaneously. In theory.

Upgrade that might actually decrease Package Center efficiency via Wikimedia Commons

The line at the package center earlier today

Sean Zimmermann reports from last night’s ESC meeting.

• The Mudd Engineering Library is slated to be closed and replaced with classrooms. Volumes stored in the Mudd library will be relocated to the library in NoCo. It is unclear when this transition will occur.
• VP Policy Logan Donovan explained that the 3rd party vendor that provides mail/package services (IKON) is set to be renewed this year. All the vendors bidding for the position will be asked how they will address the long lines, the long delays between package delivery and student availability, and how they will resolve the split package pickup between Carman and Lerner.
• Logan also reported that the mail services contract is actually a secondary part of a larger on-campus contract–IKON also provides printer and copier leases on campus. Historically, IKON usually focuses their efforts on that contract, and thus does not put as much effort into fighting for the mail contract.
• Senator Tim Qin reported that senators from all schools are working on getting course evaluations available to students. Some past SEAS class evaluations are available through http://oracle.seas.columbia.edu. The proposal would create a similar system for all classes in all schools.
• President Levick has been speaking with Dean Peña-Mora about how to make Mudd’s Carlton Lounge a more appealing study space. Council members proposed getting less wobbly furniture and increasing the amount of space left open after the attached cafeteria closes.

Update: Bwog received the following statement from engineering librarian Danianne Mizzy:
This information is incorrect and there are no plans to close the Monell Engineering Library.

Photo tipped by WMC

Learned Foote now drives this to meetings.

CCSC sayeth; Brian Wagner jotteth down and reporteth.

• As the 70+ candidates for next years student council gathered in the meeting, Learned announced that this marks a 50% increase in candidates running for CCSC. Columbia students may not be having sex, but hey, at least they’re becoming politically active.
• The Council agrees—the mail center lines are too damn long. It resolved to extend Mail Service hours during the first five weeks of school (NSOP and the first four weeks of classes) to 9 pm on weekdays and normal business hours on Saturdays. Additionally, the Council recommended installing a security camera in the hallway with live internet feed, so that students can check the line length at any time (or Prezbo/Big Brother can keep tabs on what your family is sending you.) The Council also suggested that Mail Services send students email notifications that their snail-mailbox is full (rather than continue their current policy of placing a paper slip in obviously neglected mailbox) and forward Netflix DVDs to regular mailboxes instead of the package center. (more…)

Sorry to say it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to pick up your package before 5. Better luck tomorrow! They’re really swamped though and it’s not their fault. Please don’t be mean to them.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

At the Package Center:

After foolishly spending too much for stamps in the stamps machine, a twitchy freshperson holds up the envelope and asks an employee:

“Where does the stamp go?”

Columbians send and receive the darnedest things. This week, Postal Service (remember?) groupie Sarah Camiscoli slipped into the Package Center on the fourth floor of Lerner to beat the morning rush.  She sat down with the Package Center Professionals, Ralph, Jason, Alex, and Louie. Below, the Professionals list the most bizarre mail and people they’ve encountered.

Packages: Bundles of joy that become burdens of shame.

• Thanksgiving dinner sent to Africa, returned by customs exactly one year later
• Fresh coconut with stamp
• Bouncy ball with a taped message that reads, “Have a ball!”
• Cell phones that friends and parents turn on before sending and ring continuously for days
• Game buzzer that resulted in a bomb scare involving Public Safety
• A bimonthly shipment of pineapple juice that leaks out of the box every time
• Jason’s favorite: a box that fell from the shelf, revealing several items of “clothing” and a dildo sent to a summer intern

People that “we treat specially”

• Individual who repeatedly mails packages to himself, perplexed by the placement of the return address box
• Young lady found sobbing outside the center door at 5:30 after realizing they were closed
• Student who came in expecting his only birthday gift from his parents and instead received administrative documents
• Boyfriend who walked in to find that his girlfriend was receiving flowers from her ex

(more…)