Students at BYU-Hawaii who receive mail through the mail center at BYUH have been asked to make sure those who send them mail write their addresses correctly to ensure punctual delivery. Addresses at BYU-Hawaii are 4-liner addresses, not the typical 3-liner address. The 4-liner address is more specific and helps the postal service to deliver mail to BYUH in a timely manner. Olivia Christy, supervisor at the mail center at BYU-Hawaii, said the United States Postal Service is trying to update their mail delivery system. “The USPS is trying to get mail delivered as quickly as possible. They have become more automated which will really help this process.” said Christy. By having the senders write the address correctly, the USPS can ensure mail gets to its recipient faster. Georeen Mano-Yamada, postmaster at the Laie post office, sent a letter to mail box holders at BYUH warning them of the drastic consequences for improperly addressed mail. Her letter stated, “All mail incorrectly or incompletely addressed will be returned to sender and processed as undeliverable mail.” The letter stated that this notion was effective starting October 1, 2014. According to BYUH’s On-Campus Mail Box Contract, a complete and correct address for a mail box holder at BYU-Hawaii must include: Their full name, their BYUH mail box number, the school’s address including the Aloha Center building number (for example: 55-220 Kulanui St. Bldg 5), the city, the state and the zip code with the extension (for example: 96762-1293). On the third line of the address it is important to have “bldg 5” at the end of the school’s address, “The Aloha Center is building 5 and because all university mail comes through the Aloha Center, it [bldg 5] is important information for sorters before it gets to Laie.” said Christy. Having “bldg 5” on the address helps the post office in Laie to sort mail that is coming to the school, as there are many buildings on campus, Christy added. 96762-1293 is BYU-Hawaii’s area Zip code. It is called a Zip+4 Code, according to zipboundary.com. “This refers to the 5-digit Zip Code plus a 4-digit add-on number which identifies a geographic segment within the 5-digit delivery area, such as a city block, office building, individual high-volume receiver of mail, or any other distinct mail unit. The purpose of +4 codes is to aid efficient mail sorting and delivery,” read the FAQ page on zipboundary.com. Madi Wakefield, a freshman English major from Arizona, said she has not had any issues with her mailing address. She said, “My experience with the mail center has been absolutely normal which is great! It runs smoothly and I have gotten all my packages on time.” Wakefield has received all her mail on time but, like many other newcomers to BYUH, she has had trouble remembering the spelling of the Hawaiian street name. “I’m embarrassed to say I just figured out how to correctly spell the name of our street, Kulanui, but all my packages have made it to the mail room alright, even without the correct spelling.” Asako Inueo recognizes the benefits of having a mail box on campus. “It‘s really convenient to have a mail box on campus for many students, because everyone who has a mailbox can get mail or packages individually and independently.” Christy added that this is a notion spreading nationwide to aid postal offices across the country. She said, “Local post offices across the country have been asked to monitor and help the customer to add information to their (existing) exciting address to help this automation. They also would like this to be a message to the senders of mail so that they will print better addresses.”
Writer: Kaitlin Broyles ~ Multimedia Journalist
