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In victory for MIT, campus post office to remain open

Branch in basement of W20 had faced possible closure, but MIT efforts lead U.S. Postal Service to reconsider.
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Courtesy of the USPS

The post office in the basement of W20, which had faced possible closure, will instead remain open, the U.S. Postal Service announced this week.

The move will come as welcome news for members of the MIT community and represents a victory for the group of MIT administrators who met with USPS officials and argued in favor of keeping the facility open.

In a statement, the USPS said Charles K. Lynch, district manager of the Greater Boston Postal District, “has decided, at this time, that the MIT Post Office will remain open and will continue to operate at its present location.”

Lynch’s decision followed a meeting last month between USPS representatives and MIT Executive Vice President and Treasurer Theresa M. Stone and other MIT administrators.

During the meeting, which was the result of combined efforts by staff from Campus Activities Complex, Mail Services, Government and Community Relations and the MIT Investment Management Co, the MIT officials presented the Institute’s rationale for keeping the facility open. Specifically, they noted that MIT is a year-round operation with large numbers of graduate and international students who use the services at the branch.

“This is a terrific decision by the USPS and we are grateful for their reconsideration based upon the importance MIT places on this branch and its services,” said Phil Walsh, director of the Campus Activities Complex. “The MIT community is well-served by this positive outcome.”

MIT’s branch office is one of several college campus postal facilities that the USPS had been looking to close in order to cut its costs. Over the summer, the USPS closed the facility for six weeks to save money.

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