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Name: Steve Varnadore
Title: USC Postal Services postal center director
Years at USC: 2
How did you get started working in mail operations for USC? I worked for BellSouth for nearly 32 years and took early retirement, but I wasn't nearly ready to quit working. I started out as a route driver at USC, delivering mail to various departments on campus.
There's probably no such thing as a typical day in the student mail center at the Russell House, but describe what happens on a routine day. We have U.S. mail coming in at least three times a day and express pieces arrive throughout the day. UPS has drop-offs once or twice a day with 75 to 100 or more packages. We also have a drops from DHL and three from Federal Express. We've got five people sorting letter mail, magazines, and packages into the 8,700 student mailboxes for students who in dorms and in the Greek Village. We also have two people working the counter, helping students, faculty, and staff who want to buy stamps or send packages. We will notify students if their boxes have gotten full or if they haven't picked up a package or have a special need package. We're here from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday, and the window is open from 9 to 5 although we'll stay open as long as there are people waiting who haven't been helped.
What's the busiest time for the mail center? The beginning of the fall semester is very busy; we stay open on Saturdays for package pick up the first few weeks. On Move-In Day, we even deliver packages to the dorm rooms. We tell parents at orientation that they can mail packages instead of renting a truck and hauling the boxes here, which can save time, money, and hassle if they're coming from far away. The busiest times for student mail are Halloween and Valentine's Day. We'll get lots of flowers on Valentine's, and we e-mail students to let them know so they can pick them up before the flowers wilt.
Any unusual things that come in? We've seen lots of car parts, automobile tires, and even a car fender. We see a lot of bicycles and microwaves, too. One student received 25 large boxes and a 32-inch TV at one time.
Do you find yourself going the extra mile for students? We'll often have a student expecting a package or a parent calling to say they've sent a package, and we'll keep an eye out for it. I'll use my cell phone in a heartbeat to call a student when that package arrives; I'll call the parents, too. We had a student come in one Saturday early in the semester. Her parents had sent a dress overnight express for her to wear that evening at a sorority event, but those companies don't deliver to us on Saturdays. We made some phone calls, tracked the package down at the airport, and our boss, Barry Meyers, drove out there and picked it up. She got her dress in time.
What do you like best about working here? Seeing the students every day and putting a smile on their faces. I'm a jovial person, and I like to see students leave the Student Mail Center with a smile on their face. I know they had a positive experience then.
What's the one thing you wish students--and faculty and staff--would remember when they come to the mail center in the Russell House? The biggest thing would be to come prepared when you're mailing a package--have it wrapped and ready to go because it takes time to do that with other people standing in line behind you. We also encourage students and parents to address letters and packages properly to avoid delays in shipments. They can see the proper way to address mail and packages on the Postal Service Web site.
When you're not putting mail in a student mail box, what do you like to do? I still do volunteer work locally for several causes. I handle logistics for the Cystic Fibrosis "Great Strides Walk." I recruit and manage volunteers for about eight MAPS projects at area schools yearly. We paint a 20-foot-by-40-foot map of the United States on school grounds and provide workbooks for the teachers. I am a member of the BellSouth Pioneers Clown Troupe, and I play Santa Clause for several events during December. I did my first stint as a barbecue judge recently and I'm looking forward to doing that again. This is all wrapped around loving my two grandchildren.
10/06
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Steve Varnadore
