In March 2024, Administrative Assistants Lori Boyle and June Thompson debuted their shared initiative: the Staff Transfers Acquired Resources (STAR) Cupboard, a resource for recycling and redistributing office supplies across campus.
The vision was simple: reduce costs and waste by exchanging resources between university departments that were no longer using them.
The STAR Cupboard’s primary goal is to reduce unnecessary departmental spending by offering a centralized place for faculty, staff, and students to find and donate office supplies that might otherwise go unused or be sent to a landfill.
Rather than discarding gently used items, the STAR Cupboard redistributes them to areas where they are needed or requested, allowing departments to reduce the purchasing of new items.
Around January 2024, Boyle and Thompson had individual ideas for this concept and were connected by Director of Human Resources Dior Mariano.
Thompson, a member of the Secretarial Support Staff, reached out to this group to gauge interest in setting up a shared supply resource. Once she received their support, Thompson helped create a system that tracked all donated items and organized their distribution.
The STAR Cupboard has received a diverse range of contributions, including high-quality binders and notebooks donated from Facilities that were later distributed to students, faculty, and the nursing and music departments. Some of the binders cost up to $75 each when bought new. One department took eight binders and saved over $500.
“We’re all on budget crunches, and things don’t need to be thrown away if they don’t have to,” said Thompson. “[There is] no need to discard if it can be reused.”
Thompson and Boyle created a needs list. Instead of purchasing new items, employees can add their needs to the list and see if any departments are getting rid of those supplies. Some current items on the need list include rolling desk chairs, office supplies, and various furniture pieces.
In addition to the need list, there is a current inventory that keeps track of what has already been donated so that employees can search for what they need and connect directly with the appropriate contacts to make arrangements to pick up the materials.
Other items donated and exchanged between departments include office essentials like tape dispensers, scissors, and interoffice envelopes. When two faculty members retired recently, they donated their remaining office supplies to the Cupboard; these resources were subsequently shared across the chemistry, physics, and biology departments, benefiting multiple disciplines.
The Cupboard even supports students—particularly during exam periods—by providing items like batteries for calculators, ensuring that a last-minute dead battery does not become an obstacle.
Thompson and Boyle hope to continue their initiative.
Thompson is tasked with checking the Cupboard’s status every two weeks, keeping inventory, and ensuring that items are posted, accessible, and in good condition. According to Thompson, the ongoing response from students and staff has been encouraging, with many expressing gratitude for the initiative’s financial and environmental benefits.
The STAR Cupboard’s longevity is also supported by reminders, with staff receiving updates every few months to donate items they no longer need or to check the cupboard for supplies before making purchases.
Beyond meeting internal needs, the Cupboard also connects with the broader community. When departments have items they no longer require, these supplies are donated to Mo’s Cupboard and local elementary schools in need.
Rose Panik, MCMI program coordinator in the music department, has been coordinating with local schools to find out what resources they need in order to eventually donate surplus supplies such as envelopes, pencils, and pens. These resources will likely be distributed in the summer of 2025 for student use in the fall.
Thompson expressed pride not only in the staff and faculty contributions but also in the students who participated, including math major Lexi Jordan ‘27, who designed the STAR Cupboard logo.
“The students are phenomenal in both design and application,” Thompson said.
With continued support and contributions from faculty, students, and staff, Thompson and Boyle hope the STAR Cupboard remains a valuable resource for years to come.
“The best experience was meeting June [Thompson] on campus and collaborating, working towards the same goal,” Boyle said.
Thompson agreed, adding that she was grateful for the response from the students and the committee members with which she works, especially from the Secretarial Support Staff and Facilities.
“I’m grateful for the teamwork and the opportunity [that organizing the STAR brought] and that we have the chance to be a part of saving any department expenditures,” Thompson said.
