It looks like a graveyard.
But things don't turn to dust in the lost and found. They justcollect layers of it.
"We're reluctant to dispose of things quickly," said DerekMyers, public safety associate director. "We know students go toschool for 3 or 4 years. If someone comes back and asks if we havesomething they lost 3 years ago. We'd like to say yes."
There are numerous lost and founds across campus and if thingsgo a semester without being retrieved, they are sent to thedepartment of Public Safety.
"Sometimes we just have stuff appear at the desk," said LynSmith, who works at the front desk in Richardson Towers North. "Oneday there were four cans of green beans sitting there. I don't knowwhere they came from. They're French-cut green beans and nobodywants them."
Things turned into the Rawls Hall lost and found are eventuallydonated to charity, said freshman journalism major TaylorJohnson.
"We get a lot of clothes," she said. "We get glasses and shirts.And we have one platform shoe. But, no one came back for that. Wethrow them away if they are ratty, and they are usually ratty. Butif not, we donate them to Helping Hands."
The public safety lost and found cabinet has a power drill,cologne, a diabetic blood tester and an old saxophone.
People have also turned in diamond rings and laptops, Myerssaid.
Things turned into the public safety office are eventuallydestroyed or given to the State, he said.
"If they think it's valuable, they'll have an auction and sellit," he said.
The public safety office is sometimes successful in trackingowners down and getting their things back to them.
"But sometimes we call people and tell them we have their checksor credit card and they don't bother coming back to get it," Myerssaid. "They just tell us to destroy them."
The most common items turned in are keys, glasses and bankcards,said Dana Pointer, who works at the University Center informationdesk.
"People also lose cell phones like crazy," she said. "Andsomeone turned in this really nice U of M jacket. Somebody must bein the band or something."
Pointer said things, ranging from paychecks to stereos, areturned in daily.
"We've gotten a neck brace and a high heel shoe," she said."People don't come back for stuff like that."
