How many of you have had the unfortunate circumstance of having an item lost?
Given that NUS Lost and Found at Student Service Centre (SCC) has seen their fair share of 'visitors’, this desperate situation of having personal items misplaced would not be unfamiliar one. NUS Lost and Found at SCC has seen their peaks and lows. The Lost and Found items at SSC has dwindled down over the year due to COVID-19, with lesser students and no non-NUS visitors being allowed on campus. However, during high and usual peaks are exam periods, it is still common to see several lost water bottles, pencil cases, study files, jackets and student cards.
Student writer interviews Liew Rui Liang, who manages the Lost and Found at Student Service Centre (SCC) to get a better idea of the services they provide; common FAQs students may have on retrieving their items and how RepoApp can be their new best friend if they lose something.
OSA: What do you think about the NUS Lost and Found Telegram channel (NUS Lost and Found) and how it facilitates the Lost and Found process?
Rui Liang (RL): It is a great platform for students and the NUS community to self-help, to find what they lost and to post what they found. However, there are a number of people who will post important information (i.e., full name, ID number, student number etc). There is a constant need to remind people to adhere to the PDP Act.
OSA: So where should students go if they lose an item?
RL: RepoApp is the official channel for anything L&F related in NUS. It allows you to search for your lost items, post your lost items or even post found items. The site also tells you where your lost item is kept so you know specifically where to go to retrieve it.
We have had students rushing to SSC thinking that we are the main L&F holding area, without checking RepoApp. Some do get disappointed when told that their lost item is not at SSC. In these situations, all we can do is to check RepoApp for them and inform them where to go to retrieve their lost item.
OSA: How do students verify that items belong to them?
RL: Items with an identification on them makes it easier to locate the owner. It’s the items without any form of identification that throws us into ‘Sherlock Holmes’ mode. Questions that require very detailed answers will be asked, like what colour is the item, how many books were in the bag, where was the item lost, etc.
OSA: What happens to items that are not recovered by any NUS students?
RL: Items not recovered in six months and still in good condition will be donated. We will approach NUS Save to inherit items that will be useful to students with financial difficulties. Water bottles, school bags, stationery and toys will be donated to orphanages and children homes nearby. Items that are not in usable conditions will be disposed of. All electronics like laptops, cameras and mobile phones will be disposed of through e-waste recycling drives.
Lastly, we ask Rui Liang what some of the most interesting items students have lost and/or found, with which she replied with a ukulele, an Er-hu, a Segway, and even two luggages that were packed full of just clothes and toiletries.
So, the next time before you go running to the Lost & Found at Student Service Centre to retrieve your lost item, remember RepoApp, your new best friend which will tell you where to search for your lost items. After all, RepoApp is created for this purpose, as the main platform for anything Lost and Found related. While students can search for their lost item via RepoApp, if they are unable to find their lost item via RepoApp, they may lodge a claim form online to report their loss.
Visit NUS Lost and Found to find out more.
Want to know the suite of services from SSC? Read more here or chat with our bot.
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Shanice Poh, Year 1, NUS Business School
