keizo/weblog

the question was If there was an empty 50×50ft space in the Union, what purpose would you give this space and why?

I wrote:

When I came to RPI my belongings consisted of one suitcase and two backpacks. Four years later I could probably fill three giant suitcases and five boxes of skateboards, electronics and books. Add on a couple more boxes for the cooking utensils, TV and foosball table. That’s more than triple the amount that I came in with. In May I’ll be leaving RPI and a lot of what I have accumulated behind. I imagine that many of the incoming or new off-campus students will be looking to purchase many of the items I plan to leave. Considering that there are 1000 other students in similar situations, creating a thrift store in the Student Union would be an ideal use for an empty 50×50 space, practical for the school and the students.

First of all, creating a thrift store would be a visible and socially responsible project for RPI. There is no better time to start recycling and reusing, and a thrift store in the Student Union would make that as easy as possible. This essay is too short to explain reasons to be green, but watch An Inconvenient Truth for an idea. Creating a thrift store so students create less waste and purchase fewer products form Walmart would be a step in the right direction. We would make Al Gore proud.

In addition, this place would be an amazing improvement to student life. Imagine a place stocked with items that only people very similar to you would own. There would be regular sets of quality speakers, kitchen items, books, video games, or anything else a student at RPI could want! All for thrifty prices!

Some might argue that Salvation Army and others already exist. I say this store would be better. It’s like the gym; you only go there if it’s not too far out your way. Creating an on campus thrift store would make it accessible enough to really be useful. Also, items could be sold on consignment so donators receive some portion of their items sale for even more incentive.

A thrift store in the Union would be an innovative and useful asset to the already successful facilities. With a little research and dedication to the project, a thrift store could fund itself and provide an amazing shopping and social experience to the faculty and students at RPI.

winners can be found here

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 25th, 2007 at 8:11 am and is filed under , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.