University suspends its personal mail policy

UNM Mailing Systems has suspended the policy that prevented Ph.D. candidate Nina Lanza from getting her tango shoes delivered at work.

Debra Fondino, associate director of University Services, said the entire Mailing Systems policy manual — including Section 6340, which prohibits personal mail from being delivered through the University — is under revision and has been for the past six months.

She said the policy was written in 1991 and is outdated.

“We’ve submitted, as one of our goals this year, to revamp (the policies) and bring them to current day,” she said. “There was definite need. This (controversy) just prompted us to try and get it done more quickly.”

Fondino said the whole policy manual will be revised as soon as possible.

“We have agreed that we’d try to get it done within the next 30 to 60 days,” she said. “And until we can get everyone’s input and get this finalized, we are going to be going ahead and accepting incidental personal mail.”

Lanza said she was surprised by Mailing Systems’ quick response to her concerns. The Daily Lobo published an article on the issue Wednesday.

“I’m very pleased that the Mailing Systems responded so swiftly to my issue,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the new mailing policy when it is available.”
Fondino said Section 6340 is being suspended for 30 to 60 days pending the completion of the new Mailing Systems policy, but Carol Stephens, director of the UNM Policy Office, said the process might take longer than that.

“That process, because it’s a pretty thorough review process, probably would take about three months from beginning to end,” she said.

Stephens said the new Mailing Systems policy will be reviewed by organizations campuswide, like the Graduate and Professional Student Association, Associated Students of UNM and the executive cabinet, before it reaches the president’s desk for approval.

Fondino said she doesn’t know why Section 6340 was originally put in place, but she said there is still a need for some restriction on personal mail.

“We have to discuss the fact that there could be items coming to the University that the University would not consider appropriate,” she said. “We have to make sure that we cover it in ways that will cover and protect everyone.”