Whether it is a scarf or head phones, students constantly leave things behind in class or study spots around campus. But, what students do not know is that the Memorial Union has a hidden room dedicated to helping connect students with their forgotten belongings.
While each building on campus has its own way of taking care of lost items, Memorial Union has a detailed system for logging items that are left behind.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Assistant Facilities Director Roger Vogts is in charge of keeping the union’s lost-and-found system functional and organized.
“My job has me doing different things every day, so the variety makes it fun,” Vogts said.
Items lost in both Memorial Union and Union South are brought into a large room in the basement of Memorial Union where items are sorted and cataloged.
The most common items found are seasonal clothing items, such as mittens and hats in the winter, and T-shirts in the summer. However, there have also been some more interesting items recovered, according to Vogts.
“We had someone leave a cello once,” Vogts said. Other interesting items that have turned up include wedding rings and luggage.
The more expensive items found in Memorial Union are stored in a safe, then handed over as soon as possible to the University of Wisconsin Police Department to attempt to track down their owners, according to Vogts. UWPD takes care of items with a value of over $100.
The UWPD runs a campus-wide, online lost-and-found database, which allows students to post items they have lost. The department also posts items it has found and keeps in its office for students to retrieve.
Memorial Union keeps its system fairly low-key in order to keep people from “item fishing,” according to Vogt. To retrieve one’s lost items from the lost and found, the owner must give a detailed description of the object.
Approximately twice a semester, everything in the lost and found gets cleared out, Vogts said. Most of the clothing items are donated to organizations such as Goodwill, while other items, such as eye glasses and keys, are donated to organizations that recycle or reuse them. Credit cards are kept until the end of the day they are found, then shredded the next day.
While many items are donated because they are not claimed, Vogts said it is always “rewarding” when belongings are reconnected with their owners.
