Freshman accounting major Steve Turk had a problem while waiting for his Playboy a few weeks ago.

“It came in, like, two weeks later than it should have,” Turk said. “I think they (the mail workers) were reading it and then put it in my mailbox when they were through.”

NIU residence halls receive hundreds of pieces of mail a day. But things usually run smoothly, said Gary Feltman, student supervisor for mail services and a junior special education major.

Mail service usually gets complaints only a few times a week, and they’re mostly regarding magazines and packages, Feltman said.

When packages arrive, a resident is notified with a slip in his mailbox and a phone call, said James Brunson, assistant director of Student Housing and Dining, because residence halls don’t want packages sitting around.

Mail supervisors check in all the packages that are delivered to reduce any confusion about why a package hasn’t been received.

“We train them [mail room employees] not to take packages without verifying we have them,” Brunson said.

The check-in system helps residence halls to document whether students’ packages are received, or if the delivery company is at fault if a package is lost.

If the residence hall is responsible for a lost package, students can be reimbursed if they have proof of the contents.

Students also complain that they receive someone else’s mail in their box.

“Many times students receive mail which isn’t their own,” said Carla Pavone, a junior physical theory major and a mail worker at Lincoln Hall. “This could be because the people doing the mail can’t read right.”

If students do receive someone else’s mail, Pavone said they should return it to the front desk.

“When I do the mail, it doesn’t happen,” said Feltman, referring to misplaced mail. “But I can’t speak for other people. We try to train the staff to their job correctly.”

Pavone advises a way to cut down on lost mail is to include a student’s full legal name on packages or letters. This can be a problem with students who use nicknames or foreign students who have two different names, she added.

“If the name on the box doesn’t match the name on the letter, we can’t put it in the box,” Pavone said.

It’s also important to include proper mailing information on all mail.

“Letters must have the student’s name, the school’s name, the hall, room number and DeKalb IL, 60115,” Pavone said.

Pavone reminds students that even though residence halls make mistakes, sometimes the post office is at fault as well.