Hi, I’m Mégane, the Sustainability and Lost and Found clerk working for the Office of Campus Sustainability this summer! The Lost and Found has gone from being managed by the University’s Protection Services to the Office of Campus Sustainability. Since I started on May 1st, we’ve already made a lot of changes to improve the efficiency of the Lost and Found. Any changes going forward will incorporate sustainability as this is now a core value of the Lost and Found.
The Lost and Found is located in the UCU, room 02A (near the bookstore). It is open and you can stop by on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM and 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM for the summer.
During my first week of work, I spent a lot of time going through bulk bags of lost item scattered across the room, waiting to be catalogued. Slowly but surely, the room has started to feel less claustrophobic as more light could reach the den of lost treasures. I was feeling good about myself, well at least until someone knocked at the door, asking whether we had a set of brass nickel keys. We did. We had a bucket filled with them, and as I was rummaging through it, I kept seeing keys that were tagged from 2021. As a result of that embarrassingly long key-seeking session and for the sake of organization, we have decided to limit keeping items for two months. Items that are not recuperated after two months will be sent to the Free Store to be given a chance to be reused instead of being sent unnecessarily to landfill. So don’t wait too long before seeking those EarPods you left at the library!
To make the process of finding your lost items easier, we have decided to activate a Lost and Found Facebook account where lost items will be posted in albums that correspond to different categories like cards, headphones, bags, etc. The Facebook account will allow you to check the status of your lost item from anywhere, and if that isn’t encouragement enough to not give up on your belongings, think about it this way: taking a few seconds of your day to check if we have your lost item means you are actively contributing to waste diversion! How? By not immediately choosing to buy an unnecessary replacement without doing your due diligence! If your item isn’t posted, that means we haven’t yet received it.
The website is currently getting an update. When accessed, you will be able to read about the role of the Lost and Found and the steps to take after you’ve lost or found a lost item. We’re also adding a FAQ section!
Hopefully, the changes we have already made, as well as those that are upcoming will make your experience using the Lost and Found easier, faster, and lead to a higher reunion of owners and items. Don’t hesitate to pop by the Lost and Found office or email us if you have suggestions to help us make the Lost and Found more sustainable and efficient!
