While some students rushed up and down the escalators located in Baker University Center during the past few days, other students were stuck at a standstill.
This handful of students wasn’t waiting in line for the next tallest roller coaster at Cedar Point or the new iPhone 5; instead, they were waiting to mail various letters and packages at the United States Postal Service office.
Monday, the USPS announced that it was closing the post office on the fourth floor of Baker Center 90 minutes earlier than usual on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which led to even longer lines. However, the hours went back to normal Thursday.
The post office is separate from the university, and OU officials don’t control the office’s hours. There is no signed contract between the university and the post office, and OU doesn’t receive any rent for use of the office, according to a university spokesperson.
Sarah Volpenhein, a sophomore studying journalism and Spanish, said the change in hours was inconvenient.
“It will be harder for students to mail things now,” Volpenhein said. “I don’t have a lot of free time in the day to mail things.”
David Van Allen, the district-communicating representative for the USPS in Ohio, said the change in hours was only temporary due to staffing.
Starting Thursday, the post office’s hours will return to 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with the same lunch break from 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Van Allen said that the hours were changed after staffing problems due to health concerns, which have now been resolved. He declined to comment further.
Rebecca Darling, a freshman studying special education, said she wishes the post office would just stay open later.
"The lines are always long, and there is usually only one worker there,” Darling said.
There is another post office located on Stimson Avenue, which is open from 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Saturday.
bc822010@ohiou.edu
