Sacramento State?s Mail Service Center and Campus Police are taking extra precautions as the campus attempts to deal with the current anthrax scare.

Campus postal workers now wear masks and gloves while dealing with mail, said Mail Service Supervisor Paul McEntee. Though news of the infections of postal workers on the East Coast may make some campus workers uncomfortable, he said they?ve tried to stay lighthearted about the situation.

“(We) make a joke out of it ? you have to keep going and doing your job, even if you are scared,” McEntee said. “This is our way of dealing with it.”

Other precautions the Center has taken include looking more carefully at envelopes and packages, making sure they?re taped right and have the correct postage and calling the proper authorities if needed, McEntee said.

Campus Police are also working with a heightened sense of awareness after fielding several calls from people concerned about suspicious mail, said Department Public Information Officer John Hamrick.

According to police reports, a man concerned about an envelope he received at his off-campus home brought the item to campus Oct. 15 to be checked by police officers. Another letter containing bumps in the paper was received at Amador Hall Oct. 19, and officers were called to look at it.

In both cases, the incidents turned out to be false alarms, Hamrick said.

The campus also had a scare three weeks ago when Santa Clara Hall was closed after a suspicious white substance was found in the building. The substance was tested and eventually proven to not be biohazardous.

The number of calls to police dealing with concerns about possible terrorists or anthrax-related activities has also brought a slight increase in police staffing, Hamrick said.

“Once a call has been dispatched, the answering officer makes the call for additional help based on the information and evidence present,” Hamrick said.

Anthrax is a potentially deadly bacteria that has received national attention in recent weeks after being mailed to prominent figures, government offices and businesses around the world. Hamrick acknowledged that the attention it has received has contributed to recent concerns on campus, but stresses that no hazardous materials have been found at Sac State.

“(We) haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary,” Hamrick said.