[kokosas]

Security Services' Lost and Found:
Lost Your Marbles? Look Here

By SABRINA KOKOSAREVIC, MACINSIDERS

For all of you readers who have ever lost something on campus and ran around frantically looking for it I have one thing to say to you: I feel your pain.

For all of you lucky enough to never have experienced this panic induced-cold-sweat-frantic-mania: I commend you for your organization skills, for I have none.

The point that I’m trying to get to here is that losing something is a very, very, common occurrence on campus. It’s hard to keep track of everything when you’re short on time and trying to grab a bite to eat on the run. Let’s face it, sometimes things get crazy and you can’t always keep track of your wallet and keys.

So what happens to your stuff? Well if someone is kind enough to pick it up and drop off with any department or group/organization associated with the university it ends up on my desk at Security Services.

Yes, that’s right. This is going to be a shameless plug for my awesome department but it’s beneficial for you too so take the time to read it!

Unfortunately what many visitors to Mac (and a surprising amount of students) don’t know is that Security Services also provides a Lost and Found Department for you to utilize. If you’re like me you misplace your keys at least once a week and at least once a year you lose them completely. I really am that bad with small objects.

But what’s more important than my lack of organizational skills is that when you lose something on campus you can follows these easy steps to help us help you get your stuff back.

1.Retrace your steps and check at any information desks (eg: in the library if that’s the last place you remember having it, or COMPASS where a lot of found items end up before coming to Security Services). Also, make sure you ask around with any of the administration or staff to see if they picked it up.

2.If that turns out to be fruitless get yourself to a computer with internet access. Visit the Security Services website and click on the “Lost and Found” link on the left hand side of the page.

3.Once you’ve done this you will again find the link that you need on the left hand side of the page, it’s called the “Lost Form”.

4.Fill this out with as much information as you can. Tell us everything you can remember about the item in question and where you think you may have lost it. It will help us distinguish your charcoal grey Blackberry with the dead battery from the other one that was turned in…also with a dead battery.

Putting your full name and address on your cell phone display is great… but if your name isn’t listed on Canada 411 we won't be able to contact you. So, give us a reliable way of contacting you (eg: home number on your display) as it is always a good way to increase the chances of you getting your stuff back.

Remember that sometimes these items take a few days to make their way to us via the inter-campus mail system or by the finder who didn’t have time to bring it in when they found it but will as soon as they’re on campus again. I understand that this can be nerve wracking if it’s something very important or valuable but if it has been turned in to any form of administration on campus then it will find its way to us, it’s only a matter of time.

Our policy states that we keep the found items for 30 days and during that period the person in charge of the Lost and Found does all in his/her power to find and contact the owner of that item. Unfortunately, less than half of the items we have turned in to our Lost and Found department make their way back to their owners. Granted that a lot of the things that are turned into us are single earrings, notebooks, umbrella’s etc, there are still a substantial number of important items that never get claimed. These items include: iPods, cell phones, gaming electronics, lap top cords/cell phone cords, watches, rings, necklaces and the list goes on!

Every year Security Services sells these items at a discount to the general McMaster community and uses the money that they raise to keep the Lost and Found department running! This years auction will be held on Wednesday September 17, 2008 between the hours of 10AM and 1PM with the bike auction at 12PM.

Keep your eyes on MacInsiders closer to the end of the summer and I will have more information for you on the whereabouts of the auction!

[lombard]

If you're living in REZ and lose your keys, Security Services will most likely send them to the Housing & Conference Service Centres and the Housing Staff has a key tracking database system to find its owner. Please let us know immediately if you've lost your access card as we will de-activate the card so that it cannot be used to enter your residence hall by a stranger.

[Chad]

Thanks for letting us know Mary!