Maybe it’s a whole room. Maybe it’s a few cabinets tucked into the back of an office, or maybe it’s an entire basement in an older residence hall that hasn’t seen the light of day in decades. It’s the place where supplies go to live out their days: paper scraps saved in the name of sustainability, old hall council trophies and memorabilia, craft supplies from programs nobody remembers, and things that will definitely be useful for a program someday. You know the place. You’ve probably inherited it, and if you’re being honest, you’ve probably contributed to it, too.
Residence life professionals spend a lot of time thinking about how to make physical spaces feel like home, and our staff resource spaces deserve some of that same attention. Meanwhile, residence life has evolved since many resource rooms have been built. Student needs have changed, our approaches to community building have changed, and even if your hall council is still making banners, you probably don’t need 42 shades of lime green paint.
Sometimes, the most innovative thing we can do is make room for the new by letting go of what no longer serves us. It’s time to throw that “junk” away.
1. Dream big. Before you start hauling things to the dumpster, think about what you actually want the space to be. Whether you’re reclaiming an entire room or just a few cabinets, start by imagining how the space could better serve your current team. Could you create a clear workspace where RAs can design door decorations on their laptops? Dedicate a whole shelf to blue painter’s tape? Organize supplies so staff can find what they need without asking three different people where the scissors went?
Consider what resources your campus might already have available. Is there funding for new storage containers or furniture? Or is there a perfectly good shelving unit sitting in another storage room that could serve your space better? Start with the space you need, not the stuff you already have. Otherwise, you’ll end up reorganizing the same clutter into prettier piles.
2. Prepare to ditch the stuff. Before you start throwing things away, learn the rules. University spaces can come with restrictions that make decluttering a little more complicated than cleaning out your garage. Find out what your institution requires for disposing of unused supplies, old files, receipts, electronics, paint, and other materials that maybe can’t simply go in the trash. Is there an institutional archive that would be a better home for that 1951 homecoming scrapbook? Does your department have a process for archiving or displaying historical memorabilia? Are there centralized supply rooms where usable items can be donated instead of discarded? A little preparation now can save you from accidentally tossing something important, or spending another decade storing something that isn’t.
3. Time to ruthlessly chuck. If you can, block a day on your calendar and commit to the project. I prefer to keep the actual sorting to one or two people. Sometimes, more bodies means more opinions, more reminiscing about the event that used those glittery foam stars in 2017, and more people advocating for keeping things that nobody has touched in years.
If you do enlist help, gather everyone beforehand and share your vision. You’re looking for help getting rid of the 10,000 color popsicle sticks, not finding a new way to arrange them.
As you sort, make clear decisions: keep, relocate, donate, archive, or dispose of according to your institution’s guidelines.
And resist the temptation to get distracted by all the cool things you find. Could you do an event with that box of sailboat-themed bookmarks? Sure, maybe. Could those 400 paper scraps be useful for a collage night? Absolutely, in theory. But that’s how you ended up here. If you haven’t used it in years, don’t have a concrete plan to use it, and can’t justify the space it takes up, it’s probably time to let it go.
4. Make what’s left look nice. You don’t need a big budget to make a space feel intentional. Keep coloring utensils near other art supplies, cookware and food prep items together, and frequently used items somewhere easy to reach. Put items in containers where it makes sense, and arrange them so people can see what’s available without digging through a mountain of stuff.
One way to elevate the space is using clear, consistent labels; universities often have branding templates & letterhead to make this easy. You might even create a small display area for items that are genuinely worth showing off, whether that’s historical memorabilia or photos from successful programs. The key is to reduce visual clutter and make the space intuitive to use. Someone who has never set foot in the room should be able to walk in, find what they need, and understand where things go when they’re done.
5. Make a plan to keep it that way. Here’s the thing about cleaning out a resource room: if you don’t change the habits that created the mess, you’ll be right back where you started. Sometimes, maintaining the space means changing habits that have nothing to do with the room itself. If you have leftover stickers after an event, for example, put them out at the front desk for students to take instead of storing them until the next century. If supplies are consistently left over from programs, consider adjusting how much you order in the first place.
The whole point is avoiding the urge to create an elaborate system that someone has to manage.
6. Celebrate the hard work. You did it! You reclaimed the space, made tough decisions, and finally dealt with the box of miscellaneous craft supplies that’s been haunting your department since the early 1980s. Host a grand reopening, take before-and-after photos, or show off the new space during a staff meeting. Give your RAs a tour of the supplies they can now actually find. If other buildings have been living with similar resource room chaos, share your success and encourage them to do the same.
Staff years down the road will thank you. Your storage space will thank you. And somewhere, whether it’s a university thrift store or a landfill, those 10,000 popsicle sticks are finally getting the retirement they deserve.
