Campus Lost & Found Receives All Kinds Of Items

As college students with busy lives, it’s easy sometimes to leave behind a jacket or water bottle while rushing to the next class or grabbing a quick bite to eat before Convocation. It’s good to know that when this happens, there’s a safety net for Liberty students to recover these items: the Lost and Found. 

The Lost and Found at Liberty serves as a home for lost items until their owners reclaim them. The service operates under the ID and Campus Services Department and is directed by Deborah Nightingale. 

Over the years, many items have been turned in to Lost and Found, but according to associate director Rebekah Scoville and team leader Jenifer Chavis, some items stick out from the usual items, like AirPods and jackets. Anything from whole Spikeball sets to family photos to pencils and even artwork have passed through the department.

Many students will turn in the items they find, even highly valuable ones. 

“These students have such good hearts,” Chavis said regarding the multitude of items turned in to Lost and Found. 

Sometimes, there is a story behind these items, even a simple necklace. The Lost and Found once received a phone call from a girl about a lost necklace she had purchased from Israel. To her, the necklace was an incredibly sentimental piece. But when she called, the necklace had not been seen. 

However, just a few days later, someone turned the necklace in to Lost and Found. 

“The necklace was really meaningful to her,” Scoville said. “When there’s that connection, it’s really great.” 

But what happens to items that do not get claimed? 

Virginia legislation for higher education facilities sets the minimum holding period for unclaimed items at 120 days. However, the holding period for items like water bottles is only four days because of sanitary concerns. Highly valuable items or those with personal information like laptops and passports are given directly to LUPD to hold and return to the student. 

The department donates many unclaimed items either to Goodwill or local organizations like The Lighthouse, a community center in Lynchburg, according to Scoville.  

The Liberty Lost and Found is open Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. A helpful tip when interacting with Liberty Lost and Found is to email a picture of the lost item to campusservices@liberty.edu. Otherwise, students can stop by the information desk in Montview where the Lost and Found is located.

Pace is a feature reporter.