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Has anyone here had to deal with the logistics of settling in a college student at UVI-STT? We live on the mainland and we are trying to find a cost-effective way of dealing with a really awkward situation. The school's housing office told us they will not hold parcels for new incoming students who are moving into the dorms. We were told we have to use General Delivery at the post office because they will hold parcels for up to 30 days. Sounds cheap on the surface, but it's not at all.
The move-in date is on a Monday and the campus is right at the airport. My daughter should just be able to get off the plane and move straight into her dorm. But how is her stuff supposed to get from the post office to the dorm? She's too young to rent a hotel room for the preceding weekend or rent a car to get around the island on her own. Once she arrives, she will undoubtedly be caught up in new student orientation activities and it would probably be difficult to break away to leave the campus to find the post office and drag all the cartons back to the dorm room. For the cost of a second person flying down to help her, staying separately in a hotel and renting a car for two days just to go to the post office and run last-minute errands at local stores (about $1200 from where we live), it seems like there must be some sort of local concierge service that could handle this at a fraction of a price.
Any suggestions? Thanks for your advice!!
Posted : July 4, 2015 4:20 am
There's a mail service at Crown Bay Marina. Perhaps you could contact them and ask about holding parcels for your daughter.
I can't remember the name of the service but you could contact the marina office or maybe someone on this board can chime in with that info.
Your daughter could get a taxi there and back to UVI to pick up her packages if they will hold. It's not far from UVI.
Or you could wait until she's actually on island to mail.
Posted : July 4, 2015 5:49 am
There used to be a company called "I'll Do It For You". You might try to google that, or look in the phone book...www.viphonebook.com . It's been a few years since I lived on STT, but I bet she's still around. Can't remember her name, and her usual business is dealing with things like business licenses, car registrations, etc., but maybe worth asking.
Another idea is to ask for some good, reliable, taxi recommendations. They could pick her up at the airport, go to the post office, then to UVI...one trip. She would, obviously, need to arrive well in advance of 5:00. She probably can't just grab a taxi at the airport upon arrival because the taxis sit and wait until they are full, then it's an "island tour" type of ride.
You may even get some offers from posters on here. I would do it if I were on STT.
Good luck!
Posted : July 4, 2015 7:30 am
A mainlander traveling to the VI for college? This is fascinating to me as a millennial. 😀 What a twist!
Posted : July 5, 2015 3:32 am
monogram:The UVI Marine Science program attracts some top notch stateside students. It has a very good reputation...
Posted : July 5, 2015 4:41 pm
And excellent teachers.
Posted : July 5, 2015 6:06 pm
Best to contact a local moving company. I'm looking in the Yellow Pages, and Viking, as well as others will store and deliver packages. They're close to the airport-UVI.
Website HTTP://WWW.viking-vi.com or 340.776.1536. Email viking@viaccess.net.
There may be other movers who advertise on this site.
Posted : July 5, 2015 8:46 pm
Topic starter
Just wanted to thank all of you for your suggestions. Yes, I do remember driving past a mailing service place near the Crown Bay Marina when we were there in April 2014. And for those of you who are curious about why we chose UVI, the school has lots of money being poured into it. Just after our visit, a $30 million medical school was announced as well as a $20 million science facility. That's quite a refreshing change from our home state of Louisiana, where Governor Bobby Jindal is planning to make cuts of nearly $400 million to the LSU system, roughly about a 40% cut in the operating budget. It's scary, to put it mildly, so we definitely shopped out-of-state and are very excited about the upcoming semester in STT!
Posted : July 20, 2015 2:44 am
I'm actually happy to see young people coming here to study! 🙂
But on your points, I'd like to clarify a few things. To be clear, UVI has not, and will not receive a red cent from the donor. He's actually a notorious self-promoter and failed politician. See link: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-10-12/news/0310120305_1_senate-candidate-american-dream-firms
What was touted by UVI as a gift, is actually an agreement in which UVI would borrow millions of dollars against its assets, while the donor's company cosigns the loan. Per President Hall: "The loan will be subsequently co-signed by Dr. Kathuria and will be paid through the proceeds of his gift." See link: http://www.uvi.edu/news/articles/2015/15_068_bot_sm.aspx
As someone very familiar with the funding of non-profits, I've never heard of a "donor" requiring a non-profit to borrow millions of dollars. You don't have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to see what's going on here lol. Of course, UVI would have to default on its loan and tank its credit rating before the donor can be forced to pay anything. By that point, the people of the VI will have to bail out the University as per usual.
Also, your point about Bobby Jindal is correct--he's a jerk. But let's remember that the Government of the VI only has about 11 days of money left in its treasury. The finance commissioner says the territory will be "scraping" in 2 weeks. UVI has been hard hit by funding cuts related to its dwindling enrollment numbers. See link: http://viconsortium.com/featured/governments-financial-situation-extremely-dire-we-will-be-scraping-in-two-weeks/
So while LSU might have been a better choice, you will be on a beautiful island and I think you will enjoy it.
Posted : July 20, 2015 4:12 am
"Rivera-O’reilly said when Dr. Hall was asked what kind of collateral the university has in order to secure the sizable loan, “he said there’s land and other assets.”" http://viconsortium.com/featured/sen-nellie-oreilly-questions-uvi-med-school-donor-30-million-gift/
While the media reports seemed great, I just wanted to give you a more realistic picture. lol Excited to have you come down!
Posted : July 20, 2015 4:25 am
"Rivera-O’reilly said when Dr. Hall was asked what kind of collateral the university has in order to secure the sizable loan, “he said there’s land and other assets.”" http://viconsortium.com/featured/sen-nellie-oreilly-questions-uvi-med-school-donor-30-million-gift/
While the media reports seemed great, I just wanted to give you a more realistic picture. lol Excited to have you come down!
Posted : July 20, 2015 4:26 am
The mail service at Crown Bay is Mail Stop- http://www.mailstopvi.com/
"I'll Do It For You" is an excellent service and can be reached at 340-775-0635.
I'm sure your daughter will have a wonderful experience at UVI which has a very good reputation and is the choice of many students worldwide!
Posted : July 20, 2015 10:33 am
