Annie Markota was on a break between classes when she lost her wallet. She had been sitting on a bench outside of Kilcawley Center, got up to go to her next class and left her wallet behind.
Markota said she walked about 50 feet before she realized her mistake, but her wallet was already gone.
When items get lost or misplaced at Youngstown State University, they may end up at the info desk on the second floor of Kilcawley Center.
Daniel Procopio, manager of Kilcawley Center operations, maintains the lost and found system. Procopio and his staff inventory and tag each found item, and they collect descriptions from students who report missing items.
“We have a system that we plug everything into, so that if you came to lost and found and asked for something, we have your information,” Procopio said.
Because storage space is limited, Kilcawley Center donates most found items to the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley. More expensive items like electronics and flash drives are held longer and locked away, however.
Procopio has a plastic container filled with cellphones he’s gathered over the past six years. He said they’d eventually get recycled.
When someone goes to the info desk to claim an item, the process varies according to what was lost. To confirm that the collector is the owner of a cellphone, for instance, he or she must confirm the phone number, the background of the phone and other important details that the rightful owner would know. Found YSU student IDs are sent to the university’s registration office, located on the second floor of Meshel Hall.
Not all items make their way to the lost and found collection, though.Markota called her bank to have them restrict usage on her credit cards. Soon after, Markota’s bank informed her that 12 minutes after the credit cards were canceled, one was denied at the Sunoco on Fifth Avenue.
“I was just really disappointed that someone at YSU would not only take my wallet, but also run to the nearest convenience store to try and use my credit card,” Markota said. “It just is upsetting to think that people are so quick to think that finding a wallet or purse is good luck or something.”