On weekday mornings, Brian Cambisaca can be found moving across the campus with a mail cart delivering packages and letters to the Southern community.
His route is routine, and his work is steady.
Cambisaca, a senior English major, started working in the campus mailroom as a freshman in September 2022. What began as a part-time job turned into a position that gave him a strong connection to the university and its daily operations.
The mailroom is managed by the Lead Mail Handler Colby Whelan. Whelan oversees a small team of four, full-time staff members and one student worker, Cambisaca. Together, they handle the daily university incoming and outgoing mail. The team is responsible for collecting, sorting, delivering and sending out hundreds of letters and packages across campus.
“We each have our own routes,” Whelan says. “Everyone knows which buildings they are responsible for and we have been doing it long enough that the system works smoothly.
“Brian handles his deliveries on his own and does a great job. He has been with us since his freshman year, and we will really miss him when he graduates,” Whelan says.
Cambisaca’s route includes several key areas on campus: the student dorms, Conn Hall, the School of Social Work and Buley Library.
When coworkers are out or routes need to be covered, he also delivers to Facilities, Davis Hall, Engleman Hall and the Health and Human Services building.
Over time, he has learned every shortcut, back entrance and delivery point.
“It helps to know the addresses by heart,” he says. “Once you have been doing it for a while, you just remember. It makes it easier to move quickly and not get turned around.”
When the mail is heavy or includes large packages, Cambisaca uses a hand cart or the mail van. Smaller deliveries are done on foot. He estimates he spends about half his time outdoors and half indoors during an average shift. Walking, he says, is part of what he enjoys most.
“It keeps me active and gives me time to think,” he says. “You notice a lot of things around campus you would not see if you just went from class to class.”
The team also handles outgoing mail for the university. Throughout the day, departments drop off items that need to be stamped and sent out. These are processed in batches, weighed and sorted based on postal type. At the end of the day, the team brings all outgoing mail back to a post office for shipment.
The mailroom is busiest at the start of each semester and right after holidays when mail volume increases significantly.
“Those are the days when every cart is full and it feels like there is no end in sight,” Whelan says. “But we always get it done.”
During school breaks and the summer, things are much quieter.
Mistakes and mix-ups happen occasionally, especially with student mail. Packages might be missing names, have incomplete addresses or be labeled under a parent’s name.
When that occurs, Cambisaca and the rest of the team work to figure out where the mail belongs.
“Sometimes you just have to look up the student or check with the building staff,” he says. “It takes time, but we always try to make sure mail ends up where it should.”
The largest item Cambisaca remembers delivering was a whiteboard that barely fit through a doorway. Other times, he has delivered scooters, laundry baskets and oddly shaped boxes.
“You see all kinds of stuff come through,” he says. “It keeps things interesting.”
Training for new mailroom workers is practical and hands-on.
“You learn by doing,” Whelan says. “We take new workers on a few runs so they can see how the routes work. After a few days, they start handling deliveries on their own.”
Cambisaca learned this way when he started, and now he helps guide new student workers when needed.
Weather rarely changes the team’s daily operations unless the campus shuts down due to snow. Rain and wind are just part of the job. Workers wear layers, rain gear or boots depending on the conditions.
“The weather does not usually slow us down,” Whelan says. “We only stop when the university does.”
When a delivery cannot be made, Cambisaca follows clear procedures. If a department or office is closed, he leaves the mail at a designated drop-off spot. If the location is locked and there is no secure area nearby, he brings the item back to the mailroom and tries again the next day.
“You do not want to rush and make mistakes,” Cambisaca says. “It is better to take a few extra minutes and get it right.”
Like most student workers, Cambisaca balances his job with a full course load. His schedule changes slightly each semester depending on his classes, but he manages his time carefully.
“Even on busy days, I have never had a problem finishing on time,” he says. “You just have to plan ahead.”
The equipment he uses daily includes the mail van, red and blue bags, white post office bins and his mail cart.
He also handles priority deliveries that require signatures.
“Those need to be signed with blue slips,” he says. “We bring them back to the mailroom as proof of delivery.”
Although the job may seem repetitive, Cambisaca says it is never boring. The work involves coordination, organization and problem-solving.
“You have to think about how to load the cart, where to start and how to make the route efficient. It is like a routine, but there is always something different happening.”
If he could improve one thing, Cambisaca says adding golf carts to the mail operation would make sense.
“They would help us move faster and carry more packages without using the van,” he says. “But the van is still important on heavy days.”
At the end of each day, the mailroom team regroups, double checks that everything has been delivered and prepares the final outgoing mail for the post office.
Once everything is dropped off, they close out the day’s work and plan for the next morning.
“I like working here,” Cambisaca says. “You get to know people all over campus. It is not just a job, you see how much mail connects everything. It is a good experience and it has been a big part of my time at SCSU.”
