The Giveaway Room

Deep in the recesses of YDS campus housing there is a magical land filled with memories, fantasy, and near-complete dining sets. Known as the Giveaway Room, this special place could possibly be the answer to some of your new apartment needs. The word has gotten out, and so we wanted to take this opportunity to run down some of the logistics of taking what we're giving away.

And this isn't even full.

At the end of each school year, graduating students, folks who are moving, and even  faculty/staff have the opportunity to donate furniture, small appliances, linens, clothing, and miscellany to the Giveaway Room, and they respond to the call with fervor and generosity. The only restriction is that donations have to be in clean, working condition and they have to be able to fit in the space. As the room has filled up with larger pieces of furniture, this last issue has become more significant than you might expect. The room is jam-packed, and try though we might to keep some semblance of order as the donations poured in, we have no shame telling you that it is vaguely reminiscent of a Hoarders marathon. 

There are couches, beds, dressers, bookshelves, kitchen supplies, clothing, books, and all manner of household accoutrements, all somewhat thrown into a loosely defined organizational system awaiting the arrival of the new class. During BTFO there will be designated times when the Giveaway Room will be open for new students to come and take anything they'd like for their own use. 

Before everyone gets too excited, there are some details that everyone who plans to utilize this resource needs to be aware of because they are non-negotiable:

• Regardless of when you arrive in New Haven, you will not have the opportunity to get into the Giveaway Room before the designated times.

• We do not have a system of saving items or setting particular pieces aside for individuals—everything is first come, first served. (The only exceptions are certain items passed down from international exchange students each year—these items are marked as being intended for new international exchange students). The room will be open throughout the week, but certain items will disappear quickly so if you are relying on this for furnishing your apartment you should get there as early as possible. There will still be lots of stuff left by the end of the week, however, and you might find some buried treasures overlooked by the stampeding masses on the first day.

• While the BTFO volunteers are all friendly and charming people, we do not provide any assistance getting items from the room to students' apartments. If you're hoping to grab some larger furniture you should rally some new friends and roommates to your cause. 

• The Giveaway Room is a cave of wonders, but we cannot promise that you will get what you are seeking. Please keep this in mind as you consider leaving behind necessary items in your move if you would not be able to replace them another way.

There are some really great items in there, and we're looking forward to letting you loose, come BTFO. For anyone who is not attending orientation, we will be able to open the room at some point during the following week as well.