By Liz Kersjes
Special for The State News
Two extra pennies for a postage stamp might seem trivial, unless like MSU, you send out 4 million pieces of mail every year.
The United States Postal Service raised the price of first-class stamps to 39 cents each last week, up from 37 cents for the first time in nearly four years.
The increases will cost MSU about $105,000 each year, said Pam George, director of University Services.
"This increase affects every department that sends mail," George said. "Since every department sends mail out, everyone must pay more."
The postal service also raised the price to send nonprofit mail and to purchase money orders, among other increases. A rise in the cost of nonprofit mail by 0.5 cent will cost the university another $25,000 a year, George said. The increased price of first-class mail will cost the university an extra $80,000 a year.
The university has reduced the amount of paper mail sent out as e-mail and Internet use becomes more common. Students currently receive grades and student account information through the Internet only, and the university plans to continue the electronic reforms, George said.
Aside from the cost benefits of reducing paper mail, less labor is required to post electronically and students like the faster customer service that the Internet provides, she said.
So far, the price increase hasn't deterred people from using the postal service. In fact, the Union post office has seen more people than usual since the change.
"There are a lot of people who need stamps," said Hannah Crawford, an employee at the Union post office. "We've sold a lot of 2-cent stamps."
Imtiaz Jaffer, manager of the Union post office, said they sold between 15,000-20,000 2-cent stamps already.
"We must have given out 1,000 tons of pennies," he said.
The postal service has printed 2.5 billion extra 2-cent stamps already, spokesman Jim Quirk said.
Students, such as kinesiology senior Ellen Johnson aren't really affected by the small increment, and see it as a minor difference because they only need to send out mail sporadically.
"The increase will add up eventually, but I don't send enough mail now to matter," Johnson said.
Others, however, have to send mail and don't have an electronic alternative.
"What mail I have, I have to mail, but I'm not happy about (the price rise)," East Lansing resident Eniko Rak said.
Crawford doesn't foresee any decline in the amount of people who use the postal service because of the low prices relative to other mail carrier services.
"We're probably the cheapest mail service, as opposed to FedEx or UPS," she said.
