The Talon Express mail department, which handles all incoming mail for on-campus Kennesaw State students, has seen an increase of packages for residents of the Kennesaw Campus compared to last August.
In August, 2,950 packages were delivered for Kennesaw Campus residents, over 500 more than August 2019 with 2,407 packages, according to Assistant Director of Retail Services Jason Renfroe. Along with the increased amount of packages is a decrease in staff. Last August, 12 student staff members worked in student mail as well as Copier Services and in the campus print shop. This year, nine student staff members work in student mail as well as the retail art supplies shop.
A typical shift in the mail department in August would have two or three workers processing incoming packages, one or two workers handling retrievals at the pick-up window and one worker loading the parcel lockers. The increase in packages, decrease in workers and social distancing guidelines slow down the sorting process.
“Talon Express adheres to CDC and DPH safety guidelines for COVID-19, which do add time to package processing,” Renfroe says.
In the event of another spike in the volume of packages, Talon Express is prepared to add staff, equipment and run additional shifts if needed. Talon Express is part of a department within Campus Services so more staff can be pulled from other departments if needed.
“Volume was higher during the first two weeks of school, but we expect the average to be 150 packages per day plus about 200 pieces of letter mail for the remainder of the semester,” Renfroe says.
Amazon lockers were installed on both campuses this summer to provide another pick-up option for those who shop on Amazon.com. These lockers are located in the Kennesaw Campus Student Center and the Marietta Campus Student Center. Amazon Prime members can have their items shipped to or make returns from these lockers.
