Package pickup for thousands of residential UC students goes smart

Used to be, most packages students received while living in campus residence halls came from home, in the form of a care package. A friend or family member might send a batch of homemade cookies or treats before exams. Students might receive a few packages each term.  

Now, packages come from everywhere. Yes, there are still care packages, maybe including some homemade favorites, but in addition, students and their families can order just about anything online. And they are used to receiving the packages quickly.

With this significant increase in package volume over the last several years, processing by residence hall service centers and student pickup had become more complicated and less efficient. 

The solution? Self-service smart lockers at the Bearcats Package Center (BPC). Over 400 lockers were installed during summer semester. The BPC opened Aug. 8 on the 200 Level of Tangeman University Center (TUC), adjacent to the food court. 

This is a new process, not just for first-year students, but returning residents who were used to retrieving packages from the residence hall service center. “We began alerting students to the new service early, not only on the TUC and University Housing websites, but also in Campus Services marketing handouts at Bearcats Bound Orientation,” says Jamie Miller, director of MainStreet Operations (Tangeman University Center). Signage was placed outside of the construction area throughout the summer, how-to instructions were developed, and wayfinding signage was created. Carriers were alerted to the new process. 

The BPC opened the week before move-in and packages had already begun to arrive. Students had gotten the message. “We were pleased to know the messages had been received by at least some students” noted Miller.

For University Housing, the package center was a dream come true, to eliminate a cumbersome activity in the service centers, some of which were not built for the age of online shopping. Carl Dieso, executive director of Housing says, “The Bearcats Package Center relieves congestion at the service centers, and provides a more efficient process for residents.”

“The lockers have created efficiencies in tracking, managing and securing hundreds of packages, and especially relieve frustrations for residents eagerly awaiting their purchases,” said Miller, but noted that there is still a learning curve, “some residents have used the correct address, but don’t always include their full name. There is no way to find which Dave to notify if there isn’t a last name for Dave on the address.” BPC recommends students use their full name and their central login (6+2) for efficient identification.