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What grounds can a university search your mail?

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Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Student - please give us more details about your situation and your question.
 

Student352

New member
Under what circumstances was the mail searched? Specifics matter.
I’m having a debate with a friend on whether a university has the right to search mail sent to a student living in a dorm. No substances sent. If it was delivered to the school, does the school have the right to open the mail? Do they need a warrant/notify the student to open the mail?
 

quincy

Senior Member
I’m having a debate with a friend on whether a university has the right to search mail sent to a student living in a dorm. No substances sent. If it was delivered to the school, does the school have the right to open the mail? Do they need a warrant/notify the student to open the mail?
Universities can have mail policies. Read the policy for your university.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
I’m having a debate with a friend on whether a university has the right to search mail sent to a student living in a dorm. No substances sent. If it was delivered to the school, does the school have the right to open the mail? Do they need a warrant/notify the student to open the mail?
We, generally, do not answer hypothetical questions. Some members may, however, deviate from that...
I generally do not because the facts in such hypotheticals tend to be like a pinball bouncing off the bumpers.
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
Again, are we talking about regular US postal snail mail? If so, no they have no right to intercept messages addressed to a student.

If there is a warrant, then the mail could be opened and you not being told. However, it is not the school that would be doing it. Those sort of things are handled by the postal inspectors.
 

quincy

Senior Member
We, generally, do not answer hypothetical questions. Some members may, however, deviate from that...
I generally do not because the facts in such hypotheticals tend to be like a pinball bouncing off the bumpers.
I am deviating. :)

Is it first class mail?
 
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