Exeter Summer is having its yearly dorm clean-out on Thursday, between 1:30 to 4:30. Things that students decide not to take back home will be either donated, or recycled.
“Basically, it’s a dorm clean out, and we want the items people throw out, like fans, clothes, bedding, and toiletries to be donated to organizations that need them, instead of [being] thrown out.” said Lorena Cano, one of the team members who run the dorm clean out project, “Also for the trash to be thrown out to the organizations so that it is not thrown out to the garbage cans.”
In the past five weeks, people have left behind wonderful memories with new friends, experiences during various classes, and also, things that they don’t want to take with them–which has another name, trash. One might argue that their dorm is in perfect condition. But if anyone had witnessed the mess we left behind after watching a football game on last Saturday night, they would have a much clearer image of the state the dorms are in, especially the trouble that went along.
Leaving trash behind is not a PEA tradition. It not only affects regular session students but put lots of work on to the shoulders of the working staff. So, to help clean the campus, as well as make better use of the things left behind, teachers and deans along with students from leadership classes throw the dorm clean up project. The main goal of this project is to make good use of the things students do not need, then clean the dorms thoroughly.
When being asked how did they come up with this idea, another member of the team, Simon Cai, said, “First we decided to do something that is beneficial to the society; a lot of people come here by plane or other public transposition, and they can’t take a lot of stuff with them. So they have to leave something here. [If] we can donate it, then we can make it into good use.”
It is not hard to understand that their focus is on daily essentials. However, students can sometimes be unpredictable. One year, they found a bag of coins in a student’s dorm. Because the student came from abroad, he felt it was useless to carry the money home. But that is just a single case. All four students interviewed said that they might donate their shampoo. But Tovah Duffaut said, “I am not leaving anything behind.”
Although this project didn’t seem to turn out so well in the student interviews, there are some positive parts about it. One of the founders, Lorena said, “I think most of the other projects in the leadership group only involve like Exeter students, but our project involves Exeter students when they are cleaning the dorms, and it also connects the outside society, like the charity system.”
“Everything you leave here can be donated.” said Simon, “(Even if) people have used half of a box of shampoo, they can donate the other half.”
So don’t be afraid that your half used shampoo will not be useful. Even a little donation can help others. Not to mention a whole bag of coins.