By Lucy Ruscitto | Staff Writer
Baylor Campus Living & Learning sent out an email to all current residents of the on-campus residence halls Friday, announcing two options for students for move-out: wait until the City of Waco and McLennan County shelter-in-place is lifted, or “Pack Store Ship.”
Working with The UPS Store and Campus Crates, Baylor Campus Living & Learning is allowing students to move out immediately, as the employees of The UPS Store and Campus Crates would pack up the resident’s belongings and either send them to the resident’s current location or store them until the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
Students living in the dorms can register themselves directly through the MyHousing portal to select a time slot to speak to either a The UPS Store or Campus Crates employee via video call to direct them to which items belonged packed and shipped or stored.
Students planning on traveling to Waco to move out themselves will also be able to sign up for a time slot to pack their things up through the MyHousing portal, once the City of Waco and McLennan County shelter-in-place order is lifted.
Farmington, Conn., freshman Emily Kirkpatrick was the “test case” for the Pack Store Ship program.
Like many other out of state students, Kirkpatrick said she and her mom were trying to figure out a way to get her things out of her dorm safely.
“My mom and I had been researching around the internet for companies that could possibly move out of my things once the shelter in place was put into effect in Waco,” Kirkpatrick said. “We knew Campus Crates didn’t move students out, but we thought we would at least send them an email to see if they would move me out, and a few weeks later, they called us back, saying that they would like to use me for the test case.”
Kirkpatrick said it took less than 20 minutes on a FaceTime call for her to communicate to the employees assisting her move out which belongings she wanted stored with Campus Crates, shipped back to her through UPS or just thrown away.
“I brought all my clothes, shoes and school supplies home, but left all of my storage containers and some bedding because I will be using these things in my apartment next year,” Kirkpatrick said. “[UPS and Campus Crates] were extremely helpful and patient, and if they were unsure about an item, they would call me back and make sure it got placed under the correct category.”
Kirkpatrick said she had already received all of her items shipped via UPS two days after the move-out process. She additionally received a tracking number in order to track her items as they traveled cross-country.
Per packed box, prices vary for students depending on where they are shipping their items. For example, for an 18 x 18 x 18 box with the lowest ground shipping cost from Waco, costs range from $30 per box to Dallas, $47 per box to Amarillo and Kansas City, $56 to Nashville and Minneapolis, $72 to Miami, DC and New York City, and $84 to Seattle and San Francisco.
In order to store an 24 x 18 x 18 box with Campus Crates, it would cost about $59, as it is considered a “large,” but prices can range anywhere from $35 to $99 depending on the box or item’s size.
“I used seven boxes. Since I live all the way in Connecticut, the prices for tickets and hotels and the rental car would’ve come out to the same cost as Campus Crates, so I’m happy I did things this way,” Kirkpatrick said.
Kirkpatrick said she is very satisfied with Pack Store Ship effort, and is grateful she chose to move out of her Baylor residence hall this way.
“If you are out of state, I would definitely recommend this process. It has allowed me to get all of my things without endangering my health and the health of others,” Kirkpatrick said.
However, other out of state Baylor students who resided in the dorms are considering going to move out their belongings themselves as well.
Orange, Calif., freshman Ava Dunwoody said she preferred to wait to move out her things on her own.
“I looked into the prices for what they were offering through UPS,” Dunwoody said. “I think they’re a little too expensive for something that I’m not even sure what I would need… and what I want to store.”
Dunwoody said that mainly, the issue is that she doesn’t exactly know what she does and doesn’t want to be shipped to her with UPS versus stored with Campus Crates.
“I think it would be difficult to communicate with a stranger over video chat with them going through my stuff,” she said. “I think it would be super abnormal and not something I’m totally comfortable with. And it’s also just not super convenient for me either.”
