Bronco Surplus: Giving Items a Second Life for Incoming Students
A desk lamp, a set of organizers, and a warm SCU welcome for first-generation students.
Fall at SCU is always filled with the excitement and cheerful chaos of families helping their students to unload boxes and settle in for the start of the school year. For this year’s LEAD Scholars, move-in weekend held a moment of belonging and an unexpected surprise: a chance to shop for free room supplies at Bronco Surplus. SCU’s LEAD program provides a wide range of support to first-generation college students. This year, families shopped alongside their students, helping them pick out headboards, microwaves, storage bins and more. Excitement filled the room as students hunted for useful supplies and stylish decor that will help their new rooms feel a bit homier.
An initiative from the Center for Sustainability, Bronco Surplus gives gently used room essentials a second life. At last spring’s Zero Waste Move-Out, students donated nearly 2 tons of unwanted items, sparing the landfill. Volunteers selected over 300 high-quality items that were saved and stored for a new round of Broncos.
Bronco Surplus is about more than redistribution. That free lamp doesn’t just brighten a dorm room, it also keeps a usable item out of the landfill. The program is a circular economy in action, directly supporting the Leading Through Laudato Si’ Sustainability Plan strategic goals to foster a culture of just sustainability (Campus Engagement) and to advance waste diversion and recovery (Operations: Resources). By reducing landfill waste, avoiding the carbon emissions and water waste of producing new goods, and offering items at no cost, Bronco Surplus shows how sustainability is about people as much as it is about our planet. It creates equitable access, removes financial barriers, and sparks behavior change through community action. Together, these values show that sustainability at SCU is both joyful and just.
From the crowded storage room in the Swig basement, Bronco Surplus outfitted nearly 100 rooms and created memorable first moments for new and returning Broncos. Next year we hope to secure additional space to collect more items and offer the Bronco Surplus experience to even more students. (Look for our call for volunteers during next spring’s Zero Waste Move Out event!!)
This program strengthens a tradition that connects sustainability with student success. From a simple idea to collect items during move-out and offer them during move-in, we offer a celebration of Bronco belonging. With continued support from the SCU community, the program can expand to welcome more students, reduce even more waste, and strengthen our shared commitment to a sustainable future. One look at the students and their families leaving the Swig basement with arms full of room essentials, move-in day felt a little lighter and a lot more hopeful.