515.01

U. S. and Campus Mail Procedures

Applies to: All Regular Faculty and Staff

Complete operational procedures and services are provided online on the University of Michigan Mail Services website

  1. Campus Mail Services

    1. Policy

      Campus mail services are allowed to exist through exemptions provided for in the Federal Private Express Statutes1. Those exemptions allow the university to distribute mail that pertains to the official operations of the financial, business, or academic branches of the university.  Accordingly, the campus mail system cannot be used to distribute unauthorized material.  No student-to-student mail, student organizations, except the Michigan Student Assembly, political, labor unions, religious, faculty clubs, or personal mail can be distributed through the campus mail system.  Bulk campus mailings (e.g., self mailers, non-enveloped pieces) must be identified with a return address containing an approved organization/departmental name and address.

      Mail Services will provide centralized campus mail collection, sorting, and redistribution services to all University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Campus buildings. Mail Services provides pickup and delivery services to buildings. Building facilities support staff provide final desktop delivery and pickups.

  2. United States Postal Service

    1. Policy

      The United States Postal Services (USPS) delivers most University of Michigan U.S. letter mail directly to University Buildings. Larger parcels and packages are consolidated and delivered to Mail Services for redistribution.

      University employees may not conduct personal business through the postal system using the University of Michigan name and/or address.

      Mail Services will not deliver personal items to university employees.  Should Mail Services receive personal items, the addressee will be contacted to determine the disposition of the item.

      Mail Services acts as the liaison between the USPS and the University of Michigan on service and compliance issues.

      Mail Services maintains funded postage accounts at the USPS for the benefit of all University departments.  They include:

      1. Permit Mail #144
      2. Business Reply Mail Permit #1100
      3. University of Michigan Periodical Permit
      4. University of Michigan Postage Due account

      Contact Mail Services for the proper use of each of these accounts.

  3. Metering Services

    1. Policy

      Mail Services provides centralized metering services to all University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Campus and Hospital units. Metering is the process of applying postage to an outgoing mail piece.  Metering services include all USPS mail classes, United Parcel Service (UPS) services, and international remail discounted services.

      To comply with USPS regulations, Mail Services cannot meter personal mail or mail that bears an individual’s personal home return address.  No personal mail, regardless of whether employee reimbursement is involved, can be mailed through Mail Services.

      The manager of Mail Services must review and approve all departmental requests for the lease or purchase of postage machines.  Departments that obtain their own meter must transport their metered mail to the U.S. Post Office. Metered mail must not be deposited in a curbside postal collection box or left with daily campus mail pickups.

      All outgoing mail must be accompanied by a Mail Services Shortcode barcode. The Shortcode barcode can be obtained from the Mail Services website.

      All mail pieces with the exception of First-Class letter mail should be marked with the requested service class. Certain premium classes and global classes require special forms. See the Mail Services website.

  4. Auxiliary Automation Services

    1. Policy

      Mail Services provides centralized auxiliary automation services to all University of Michigan units.  These services are designed to reduce departmental postage expenses and eliminate costly hand labor at the unit level.  Services include mail piece addressing and the mechanical inserting of printed pieces into business envelopes.

      Efficient and prompt delivery of mail depends on proper attention to addressing and automation regulations.  Mail Services maintains a professional staff able to assist University Departments with postal design and addressing issues. Contact Mail Services early in the design process to determine the mail class, mail piece design requirements, address data list structure, automation equipment limitations, expected delivery times and postal budget.

      Automation services can be used with all classes of outgoing mail as well as large internal campus mailings. The largest postage discounts are available in conjunction with nonprofit mailings.

      Automation services are best utilized with large repetitive mailings, where addressing and inserting labor can be reduced with the use of automated equipment.

      All mail class descriptions and service procedures are completely described on the Mail Services website.

118 U.S.C. Section 1694 “Carriage of matter out of mail over post routes”; Regulations at 39 CFR Part 310 "Enforcement of the Private Express Statutes"; 39 CFR Part 320 "Suspension of the Private Express Statutes".

SPG Number
515.01
Last Updated
Next Review Date
Applies To
All Regular Faculty and Staff
Owner
Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Primary Contact
Mail Services