This summer Volunteer Coordinator and Business and Finance Executive Assistant Lisa Richman headed a campus-wide sweep where staff and faculty were invited to clear out their office space to get rid of items they no longer use. The Sweep lasted three months, at the end of which, unwanted textbooks, staplers, hanging folders, and more landed in a Dogwood classroom where they were made available to employees. In the end, some of us came away with gently-used items that were put to new use, while others freed up office space. Overall, it was a win-win for everyone. Richman took some time to share with us what the experience was like for her.
Q: This was the first year that we had a Campus Sweep here. What prompted the idea for it?
A: I kept hearing that people were lacking space in their offices and had inherited or extra items around them. As we were all trying to save money, create space, and be mindful of the budget, it made sense to try and find a solution that would address all those things
Q: How many items were collected?
A: We had over 40 people donate items (from all A-B Tech locations), totaling approximately 170 boxes. This included, approximately:
- 15 boxes of Covid supplies (gloves, masks, etc) went to Chestnut and Allied Health.
- 18 boxes of broken items that went to recycling or trash
- 6 boxes that went to the Print Shop for printing use and the making of notepads
- 10 boxes that went to IT (cords, cables, mice, speakers, etc.)
- 30 boxes of books that were shared with staff during the sweep; given to the tutoring center for student use; or recycled due to outdated content.
- The rest were desk organizer trays, folders, and other office supplies that went to the Business office.
Q: What was involved in managing the Sweep?
A: I oversaw the sweep with permission from Dr. Dirk Wilmoth, CFO/VP of Business and Finance. Many, many others helped and supported this project. Dana Moore provided a room (for items up for grabs) in Dogwood. Eve Owen helped to go through items and maintain order in the room. Josh Weaver and Kim Baldwin took copy paper and made notepads for the campus. Sharon Smith, Jillian McMeans, Michele Hathcock, and Tyra Syverson took books/items to share as needed with students. Aaron Surrett took all the COVID supplies. Beth Green, Melissa Valko, and Tia Rice helped figure out flow (for supplies and process)
Q: Do you hope to make this a regular occurrence? If so, how often and would you change it at all?
A. This (Sweep) information was presented to the Executive Leadership Team and a conversation about the next version is, hopefully, in the works. I would hope that more people would participate next time, and so it truly becomes a campus-wide clean-out and redistribution of items.
Q: I know there were fairy lights in the pile of stuff collected, which surprised me. Were there other surprises of things donated?
A: There were multiple boxes of power cords. Who knew there could be so many? There were candles from nurses’ pinning (ceremonies) and enough green hanging folders to reach the moon! We received about 12 boxes of three ringed binders and once we recycled the broken ones, ALL the remaining ones found a home. So, I guess we have not all “gone electronic."
Additionally, we received requests for equipment and furniture to be removed (from offices)... It showed that people were evaluating their workspace and making changes… I feel very lucky that I was able to get out and meet many people in multiple locations... We all work in our little areas and meeting new people and hearing about their roles on campus gave me a better understanding of how the college serves its students.