The TCU Post Office is still strong, even in this age of electronic communication.

Many smaller post offices around the country in rural towns are closing down due to lack of profitability. But thanks in part to online shopping, the TCU Post Office maintains a profit margin even after the era of the handwritten letter.

Electronic media have drastically reshaped many long-standing institutions, and now it is the post office’s turn.

The mail still plays a vital role in our day-to-day life, but that role has shifted away from that of a medium for communication.

Now, the mail is a way to send objects long distances. It is a way to receive that vital item that was left behind in the chaos of packing for college or pre-order video games and books that are not yet on the shelves. That is the modern use of the mail.

That is, at least at TCU.

Modern students do not need a form of communication that takes three to five days to reach the recipient when they can whip out their cell phones and send text messages that take three to five seconds to reach their recipients. But they will always need a way to get their books, online shopping and mom’s finals survival pack delivered.

Multimedia editor Matt Coffelt for the editorial board.