"Too much sh-t stolen," one student wrote on an informal petition to lock the building’s mailroom taped to the inside of the elevator. "It’s ridiculous."

At least 58 million packages were reported stolen last year nationwide, according to a May report from the U.S. Postal Service. So-called "porch pirates" swiping packages from mailrooms, mailboxes and front doors are responsible, by some high estimates, for $16 billion in annual losses.

The government estimates that up to one-quarter of all Americans have had a package stolen.

While people living in houses can use security devices like Ring doorbells to deter thieves, or request that delivery people leave their packages in inconspicuous spots, the fate of apartment residents' packages largely depends on how their management company stores deliveries.

Some apartments like the Hub, a high-end complex located just northwest of campus, store all packages in secure lockers that residents can only open with a private PIN. A front desk employee at the apartment said the lockers essentially eliminate the possibility of package theft.

Package deliveries to the 565 Building, located nearby on Grand River Avenue, are dropped off in its lobby, which is only accessible after punching in a door code. Delivery services like Amazon allow consumers to share door codes with the delivery driver to let them inside. 

At Trowbridge Lofts, operated by DTN Management, most packages are placed on a shelf inside the building’s vestibule, which is unlocked at all hours of the day and visible from outside.

Mechanical engineering junior October Marquez is one of the Trowbridge Lofts residents who signed the petition to "change the mailroom system" after one of her packages, an order of socks, was stolen.

Before moving in, Marquez said, a friend warned her to "be careful getting your packages sent here, because she’s had issues with packages being stolen."

The petition Marquez signed has since been removed from the elevator interior. She said DTN management has not communicated with residents about whether they plan to change how packages are received. In fact, they haven't acknowledged the petition at all.

"They’re usually pretty slow, honestly, about getting to any kinds of changes," Marquez said.

DTN Senior Director of Marketing Debbie Balaker did not respond to requests for comment.

Despite deliveries being similarly accessible to anyone, Anna Fisher, an employee at Red Cedar Flats, located east of campus, said "not too many" packages get stolen from the property.

As for residence halls, for the last 10 years, packages delivered to students living on campus have been received at the front desk. Students are required to present their MSU ID to receive their package.

Spokesperson for Residence Education and Housing Services Bethany Balks said that the system is one reason why so few packages are reported stolen. Last academic year, REHS reported fewer than 10 total packages lost out of 368,000 packages delivered.

One type of delivery that dorms are struggling to process, Balks said, involves newer "last-mile" carriers delivering products from retailers like SHEIN, AliExpress and TEMU. Packages delivered by those carriers often lack the standard tracking labels expected from traditional carriers like UPS or FedEx, leaving residence hall staff unsure whether to accept them.

Balks said residence halls are trying to adapt by setting up tables for alternative carriers to leave packages at, though that system leaves those packages more exposed. 

"What we’re finding is they’re a lot more vulnerable to be misplaced or taken and it’s not something that is through our established channels," Balks said.

For most students, the delivery process represents one more quality-of-life advantage to living in dorms that supply free meals, streaming subscriptions and are conveniently located. Dealing with the absence of an air-tight package system, it seems, is one more challenge that comes with growing up.