The end of the academic school year arrives with an atmosphere of anticipation and growing restlessness. As campus residents prepare to depart for their summertime destinations, a long process of cleaning out the residence halls ensues. During this time, most students sort their possessions and determine which items they will take home with them. However, what is going to happen to the items that the resident student cannot take with him or her?
For the last few years, University Housing has pursued a simple plan: to provide student residents with an opportunity to donate their unwanted items to families in need. Last year alone, the resident donation drive collected more than 13 tons of materials, all of which was donated to the Springfield/Marcola Family Resource Center. This initiative met with a large amount of success among student residents, who utilized this convenient opportunity to give their unwanted items to families that will truly appreciate their use.
During the course of an academic school year, any student is likely to collect a significant amount of excess materials. Some of these items may include clothing, computer appliances, refrigerators or bedding. All of these items seem useless once a student is preparing to move out of his or her resident hall room. One might even ask him or herself if anyone could possibly want these used items? The answer is certainly “Yes.”
Most of the student residents are preparing to pack up their rooms, with only a couple weeks of school left. This is the perfect opportunity to remind students to donate their unwanted goods. Every year, many students throw away articles of clothing and popular appliances, such as room fans. These items are only the beginning of a pattern of human disregard for a valuable conservation concept: reuse.
All of us acquire an excess amount of material belongings. The point of emphasis is on what we do with this excess. I urge each and every student to assess his or her possessions and determine what they can donate to the needy. Just because an item may be worthless to you does not mean that the item has lost its value. Here lies an opportunity to give individuals in need access to the “luxuries” of life, which most could not typically afford.
Therefore, I remind every student resident that it is not too late to allow other individuals the opportunity to reuse these items. This is a moment of decision, and it will certainly be your last decision as a resident of Student Housing. So use this opportunity to make the choice to turn your garbage into someone else’s “gold.” For these underprivileged individuals, the simple act of donating unwanted items can truly make a world of difference.
Nick Schultz is a student at the University of Oregon
Moving out the philanthropic way
Daily Emerald
June 3, 2007
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