For senior mechanical engineering major James Weides, checking his mail has been a problem for the past three years.

Weides receives all sorts of junk mail, including credit card applications and magazine subscriptions, which is not something he looks forward to.

“I throw everything away,” Weides said. “The government should make something like the ‘do not call list’ so these companies cannot mail.”

Unfortunately, Weides experience is not unique on campus. Direct mail is creating a hassle for other students as well.

“It is irritating that they keep sending crap to my mail,” said junior English major April Phelps.

College students can be a great market for some companies, said Debra Zahay, associate professor of marketing. They go out to eat a lot and they also like to go to bars.

A student’s name can cost 15 to 20 cents for a company that markets to students in DeKalb, according to the infoUSA Web site, a company which sells databases of names.

Although NIU does not have any connections with companies that distribute junk mail to students, the NIU phone book has been a source for name lists.

“We do not sell or give our student’s information to any commercial organization,” said Donald Larson, executive director for registration and records. “And, we cannot control direct marketing organizations that send mail to students.”Currently, 400 students are on “no release” status, meaning they are not listed in the phone directory, Larson said. This is less than 20 percent of the 25,000 students at NIU.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, NIU cannot block the information on the phone book unless a request is made by the student, Larson said.

Students can also opt to have their names removed from direct mail at www.the-dma.org, Zahay said.

Some schools on the East Coast have developed limited protection to keep students from being an easy target.

One way is to let only students and faculty have access to the university’s online directory, said Carol DeMoranville, associate professor of marketing.

Currently, users who access NIU’s online directory off campus only are able to receive limited information about a person.

Students interested in blocking their information on the NIU phone book can do so through WebConnect.