Home > VI. Services

Chapter 5 – Mailing Services

(Amended 9/93; 10/94; 10/95; 5/97; 9/02; 5/05)

5.1 General

Mailing Services, a division of Business Services, provides collection and distribution of interdepartmental mail; coordinates or delivers all incoming U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail; and processes outgoing USPS mail and United Parcel Service (UPS) parcels.

  1. Application. The use of Campus Mail Service is restricted to official University business. Private Express Statutes prohibit the Campus Mail Service from receiving and/or carrying letters 1) which do not relate to current business of the University (e.g., personal letters of University faculty and staff members), 2) exchanged between non-University agencies, or 3) exchanged between students. Specific guidelines and requirements for University of Iowa Campus Mail, U.S. Postal Service, and UPS mailing procedures are provided by contacting Campus Mail Service. Questions concerning application of the policy should be referred to the Chief Human Resources Officer. 

5.2 Campus Mail

  1. General. Interdepartmental mail is any communication between departments and units on campus relating to official University business. Only approved "campus mail" envelopes may be used for interdepartmental mailings. Approved envelopes are available through General Stores and require no postage.
  2. Instructions for use.
    1. To assure proper and timely delivery, campus mail requires a legible address containing name, department, and building address. Standard building abbreviations, found in the University directory, should be utilized in the address. Campus envelopes addressed to departments within the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (UIHC) must contain the recipient's name, department, and building location.
    2. Campus mail MUST be separated from outgoing USPS mail and placed at designated collection points. USPS mail requiring postage MUST be separated from that which does not require postage.
    3. Routine campus mail service is provided free. Stops at designated pickup and delivery points are made at least one time per day.
    4. Arrangements for delivery of bulk mailings through Campus Mail must be made in advance. Bulk mailings include any mass mailing of more than 200 pieces or 50 lbs. Bulk mailings require a requisition, which should include department's mailing code number, piece count, and full mailing instructions. Failure to comply could delay processing of department's mailings. Call Campus Mail to arrange for delivery of large mailings to the Mail Center, MBSB. Campus mailings must be presented in building order. Prearranged deliveries will be completed within 24 hours of arrival at the Mail Center. 

5.3 U.S. Mail

  1. Delivery. U.S. mail is delivered to campus mail addresses by Campus Mail Services, as well as the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). USPS standard campus addresses, found in the University directory and on the Mailing Services website, will expedite delivery of incoming USPS mail and should be utilized only for official University business correspondence. Campus Mail Service will make every effort possible to deliver USPS mail containing incomplete delivery addresses. Incomplete campus addresses may cause delivery delays.
  2. Outgoing U.S. mail.
    1. Campus Mail Service processes outgoing official University business USPS mail from University departments. Material to be mailed through USPS may be placed in designated pickup locations and must contain information on desired mailing class and must have attached the appropriate departmental mail card utilized for recording postage costs. The use of University postage for personal mail is prohibited.
    2. Packages to be mailed through USPS must be securely and properly wrapped and address-labeled. All outgoing packages must contain information on desired mailing class and have attached the appropriate department mail card utilized for recording postage costs.
    3. All postcards, letters, flats, large envelopes, packages, international items, and special services items must contain information on the desired mailing class and must have attached the appropriate departmental mail card utilized for recording postage costs. Postage costs for USPS mail processed through the Central Mail Service Center will be charged to the appropriate departmental account. All mail must be prepared in a proper manner for mailing.

5.4 Parcel and Express Shipping

  1. a. Campus Mail has daily pickup for parcels, express letters, and packages. Size and weight limitations exist for parcel and express shipments. Please contact Central Mail Services for further information.
  2. b. UPS shipments may be sent through Mailing Services' UPS web shipping system. All packages must contain a package I.D. number written clearly on the top of the package.
  3. c. Notify Campus Mail Services when large packages or a number of packages will need to be picked up. 

5.5 Student Use of Campus Mail

  1. General rule. Campus Mail cannot receive and/or carry letters exchanged between students. Private Express Statutes strictly prohibit personal correspondence such as greeting cards, invitations, political flyers, books, posters, or announcements for Campus Mail.
  2. Exception. The University of Iowa Student Government (UISG), collegiate governance organizations, and the Associated Residence Halls (ARH) may use Campus Mail for official University business. These are the only student organizations authorized to use Campus Mail. 

5.6 Bulk Mail Service

(Amended 9/98; 5/05)
  1. General. Bulk Mail Services processes large-volume mailings for intra-campus or USPS distribution.
  2. Addressing. Customers can have their address data files sent to Bulk Mail from files stored on the ITS–Administrative Systems mainframe, send their address data files using the File Envoy service available through the Printing Department website, email an address file attachment to central-mail@uiowa.edu, or send CDs or diskettes containing address files from their own systems to Bulk Mail via Campus Mail. Address files prepared in this manner will be processed on Mailing Services' Video Jet System.
  3. Four-up heat-activated labels are no longer being used by Bulk Mail. Please contact Bulk Mail for alternative labeling options.
  4. Faculty, staff, and student mailings. ITS maintains a current campus and home address record of all faculty and staff. Many options are available such as selection by any or all of the following criteria: payroll code, class rank, home zip code, department, building. Student name and address files provide local address, mailing address, and parent address. A variety of selection criteria for mailing to subsets of the student body also are available. Requests for use of the Payroll file is subject to approval by the Mailing Services Manager. Use of the student file requires prior approval from the Registrar's Office.
  5. Services. Bulk Mail provides a variety of mailing services, including: folding, inserting, sealing, metering, collating, bursting, tabbing, address list cleansing, hand inserting, and video jet ink processing. Mailing Services also maintains a nonprofit bulk mail permit that may be used by any University department, provided their mailing meets the following requirements:
    1. The mailing is for a department and not for an organization or individual.
    2. There must be a minimum of 200 identical pieces, or 50 lbs.
    3. The mail piece MUST contain the department's complete return address and THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA in the upper left-hand corner.
    4. Permit imprint must be printed in upper right-hand corner, or space must be available to allow postage to be affixed to the mail piece.
    5. Bulk mailings which are prelabeled must be in zip code order and include a requisition that indicates specific mailing instructions, the department's mail code number, and the total mail piece count.

If your mailing differs from these criteria, contact Bulk Mail Service. Permit imprint mailings may also include for-profit bulk mailings. Contact Bulk Mail for information regarding the wording of the permit if having it printed.

Bulk Mail Service does process already-prepared mailings from other departments using either the Center's permit or the department's own. If needed, postage can be applied by metering, provided the mail piece is machine-able.

University requisitions are needed for all bulk mailings. Charges for mailing services are determined on a per-piece basis for the different machines used. Cost estimates can be provided. Cost estimates are provided free at any time. For information on Alumni Mailings, see II-23.

(See also V-9 Fund Solicitation and Prohibition on the Use of University Funds for Charitable Purposes.)