The charming melody of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” comes to mind when I think of the Pleasantville mailroom. “Three strikes, you’re out” is the lyric most befitting in this scenario.

Three times this semester I have attempted to send and receive mail at the mailroom in the basement of Martin Hall. The first time was during the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah. I had gotten an email informing me of my package’s arrival on the Thursday of the holiday. School was closed, so I called the mailroom at 3:30 that afternoon to ask them how late they were going to be open. I was told they were open regular hours, which meant they would be closing at 8 p.m. that evening.

I headed down to Martin from the townhouses at 6 p.m. just to find out that they were closed. Two hours prior to their alleged closing time, the boards were already up. I turned and found a piece of paper lying face down that stated, “Be Back in 2 minutes!”

Two minutes passed, then 10 minutes. After the 20-minute mark, I went on with my life knowing I wouldn’t be able to get my package until the following week.

The second strike, small yet just as irritating, was being shut down for wanting to send a card. After asking three people where I can send my card and receiving three wrong answers, I was bewildered at what to do. I tried the mailroom to send my letter, but I had gone on the Jewish holiday, which had been ultimately fruitless. I ended up going to my grandparents’ house about 20 minutes from Pace and sending it there. At least there I knew it would be sent successfully.

The third strike was the delayed delivery of my second package of the semester. It was a care package, a wonderful gift to receive from my father; a gift full of goodies that remind you of home while you’re away.

In my excitement of receiving my package, I kept checking the U.S. Postal Service website with the tracking number to make sure it arrived on campus safe and sound. When the tracking number told me the package had been delivered to 861 Bedford Road, I was ecstatic. After calling the mailroom to see when their deliveries were expected, I was informed that everything had already arrived. But how was that possible? The website told me otherwise, the Pleasantville Post Office told me the same, therefore my package had to be in the mailroom in Martin. It was not. Days later, painfully excruciating days, my package still had not arrived. Only after many phone calls did my package finally find its way home.

We all know how frustrating this construction is for all of us, but when will Kessel be completed so we can have our proper mailroom back? When will the outgoing mailbox be reopened? When will the Pleasantville mailroom finally has its act together? Hopefully the January 2015 deadline will be met so we can find out.