Welcome to Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center, the store with no sticker shock
Elsewhere on Harvard's sprawling campus, administrators are battling countless crises threatening the elite university's bottom line.
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But here — among the foragers hauling away all the lamps, rugs, and T-shirts they can carry — that war over dollars feels very far away.
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'Harvard will outlast all of them,' said Garnett, who has tried to come to the center most weeks since 2005, back when it was located in an Allston parking lot. An antiques dealer with a warehouse in Lynn, Garnett generally seeks out small furnishings to resell, but on this visit, he stumbled across a geometric painting in a rainbow of colors.
He wasn't yet sure if he would try to flip it, or keep it to decorate his Chelsea condo.
An antiques dealer with a warehouse in Lynn, Wayne Garnett generally seeks out small furnishings to resell, but on this visit to Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center, he stumbled across a geometric painting in a rainbow of colors.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
'It has helped me make a living, that's for sure,' he said of the center. 'It's been a central part of that.'
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The idea behind the center, which has existed in various forms for more than two decades, is to minimize the waste generated by students, professors, and administrators on the sprawling campus. When undergrads want to offload their mini-fridges at the end of the semester, a dorm wants to discard hundreds of air purifiers, or the Divinity School wants to ditch their pews, it all comes here.
The takers are many: Resellers like Garnett looking to make a quick buck. Do-gooders passing the donations on to nonprofits. And, of course, people squeezed by
'I still get a lot of people that will come by my office before they leave, and they're like, 'Do I need to check out? How much are these things?'' said Dailey Brannin, Harvard's recycling services supervisor and overseer of the center. 'And I'm like, 'Nope, it's all free.''
That's a boon for people like Miriam Nussbaum, who stopped by on a Thursday in late May — the height of the frenetic undergraduate move-out season. Nussbaum, who receives Supplemental Security Income, has enough money to cover her basics — rent, groceries, phone. But it's more of a stretch to afford 'things that make a space a home,' she said, like the rug and fake plant she unearthed to bring back to her studio apartment in Brookline public housing.
'A lot of people who are higher earners don't really think about the cost of the little…' She paused. 'The little everythings.'
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Mountains of books, a hockey stick, and a balloon inflater were all on offer at Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center on a recent Thursday.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
And the center's got an embarrassment of everythings. On that Thursday in late May, a cat tree, balloon inflater, and baby grand piano were all on offer. A small library's worth of books, and bins upon bins of clothes — some of it with labels like Zara, Brooks Brothers, and Levi's — were also up for grabs.
Not everything was a gem, though, including a single boxing glove, an opened box of tampons, and a spiral notebook filled with math problems.
'If you can buy it in a store, or order it online, or have it fabricated, we've seen it,' said Rob Gogan, Harvard's onetime recycling and waste manager, who retired in 2020.
The selection wasn't quite this eclectic when the center got its start under Gogan. The way he tells it, 'It started because of carpal tunnel syndrome.'
Around the turn of the millennium, he said, many students were beset by the ailment — a result of using desktop computers on dorm-room desks not designed for keyboards.
So when the school ordered new desks, Gogan was tasked with disposing of several hundred old ones. He put them in the parking lot behind his office and let people know they were available to snag. Pretty soon, more furniture started coming his way, and the parking-lot setup turned into a full-fledged operation.
A cluster of lamps at Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Today, the center is staffed by Brannin and another full-time employee, some volunteers, and two box truck drivers who make their way around Harvard's campus to pick up unwanted goods and shuttle them back to the center. In the last year, Brannin estimated, the drivers picked up more than 15,000 items.
Those items are as diverse as the cast of characters ransacking them. An Ebay merchant poring over the book bins, clutching a gadget that tells him the resale value of each title. A new mom starting a remote software engineering job, grabbing as many computer monitors as she could find. A nonprofit volunteer lugging away a scad of lamps for people in need.
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'It's a good day,' said Marty Blue, the nonprofit volunteer.
The crowds are nothing compared to pre-COVID, Brannin said, when the center had a lottery system to manage
the throngs of people. (In addition to welcoming the public on Thursdays, the center is open to nonprofits and Harvard affiliates on Mondays.)
The sparser attendance is just fine by regular patrons, who have fostered good-spirited 'community vibes,' Brannin said — so long as people stick to their own piles.
'We do get a lot of newcomers, still, and the people that have been coming for years will show them around, tell them how things work,' said Brannin. 'Or they'll say, 'Don't tell your friends, because we want to keep it to ourselves.''
People line up with shopping carts to enter Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center on a recent Thursday.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Dana Gerber can be reached at
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Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Welcome to Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center, the store with no sticker shock
Elsewhere on Harvard's sprawling campus, administrators are battling countless crises threatening the elite university's bottom line. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But here — among the foragers hauling away all the lamps, rugs, and T-shirts they can carry — that war over dollars feels very far away. Advertisement 'Harvard will outlast all of them,' said Garnett, who has tried to come to the center most weeks since 2005, back when it was located in an Allston parking lot. An antiques dealer with a warehouse in Lynn, Garnett generally seeks out small furnishings to resell, but on this visit, he stumbled across a geometric painting in a rainbow of colors. He wasn't yet sure if he would try to flip it, or keep it to decorate his Chelsea condo. An antiques dealer with a warehouse in Lynn, Wayne Garnett generally seeks out small furnishings to resell, but on this visit to Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center, he stumbled across a geometric painting in a rainbow of colors. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff 'It has helped me make a living, that's for sure,' he said of the center. 'It's been a central part of that.' Advertisement The idea behind the center, which has existed in various forms for more than two decades, is to minimize the waste generated by students, professors, and administrators on the sprawling campus. When undergrads want to offload their mini-fridges at the end of the semester, a dorm wants to discard hundreds of air purifiers, or the Divinity School wants to ditch their pews, it all comes here. The takers are many: Resellers like Garnett looking to make a quick buck. Do-gooders passing the donations on to nonprofits. And, of course, people squeezed by 'I still get a lot of people that will come by my office before they leave, and they're like, 'Do I need to check out? How much are these things?'' said Dailey Brannin, Harvard's recycling services supervisor and overseer of the center. 'And I'm like, 'Nope, it's all free.'' That's a boon for people like Miriam Nussbaum, who stopped by on a Thursday in late May — the height of the frenetic undergraduate move-out season. Nussbaum, who receives Supplemental Security Income, has enough money to cover her basics — rent, groceries, phone. But it's more of a stretch to afford 'things that make a space a home,' she said, like the rug and fake plant she unearthed to bring back to her studio apartment in Brookline public housing. 'A lot of people who are higher earners don't really think about the cost of the little…' She paused. 'The little everythings.' Advertisement Mountains of books, a hockey stick, and a balloon inflater were all on offer at Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center on a recent Thursday. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff And the center's got an embarrassment of everythings. On that Thursday in late May, a cat tree, balloon inflater, and baby grand piano were all on offer. A small library's worth of books, and bins upon bins of clothes — some of it with labels like Zara, Brooks Brothers, and Levi's — were also up for grabs. Not everything was a gem, though, including a single boxing glove, an opened box of tampons, and a spiral notebook filled with math problems. 'If you can buy it in a store, or order it online, or have it fabricated, we've seen it,' said Rob Gogan, Harvard's onetime recycling and waste manager, who retired in 2020. The selection wasn't quite this eclectic when the center got its start under Gogan. The way he tells it, 'It started because of carpal tunnel syndrome.' Around the turn of the millennium, he said, many students were beset by the ailment — a result of using desktop computers on dorm-room desks not designed for keyboards. So when the school ordered new desks, Gogan was tasked with disposing of several hundred old ones. He put them in the parking lot behind his office and let people know they were available to snag. Pretty soon, more furniture started coming his way, and the parking-lot setup turned into a full-fledged operation. A cluster of lamps at Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Today, the center is staffed by Brannin and another full-time employee, some volunteers, and two box truck drivers who make their way around Harvard's campus to pick up unwanted goods and shuttle them back to the center. In the last year, Brannin estimated, the drivers picked up more than 15,000 items. Those items are as diverse as the cast of characters ransacking them. An Ebay merchant poring over the book bins, clutching a gadget that tells him the resale value of each title. A new mom starting a remote software engineering job, grabbing as many computer monitors as she could find. A nonprofit volunteer lugging away a scad of lamps for people in need. Advertisement 'It's a good day,' said Marty Blue, the nonprofit volunteer. The crowds are nothing compared to pre-COVID, Brannin said, when the center had a lottery system to manage the throngs of people. (In addition to welcoming the public on Thursdays, the center is open to nonprofits and Harvard affiliates on Mondays.) The sparser attendance is just fine by regular patrons, who have fostered good-spirited 'community vibes,' Brannin said — so long as people stick to their own piles. 'We do get a lot of newcomers, still, and the people that have been coming for years will show them around, tell them how things work,' said Brannin. 'Or they'll say, 'Don't tell your friends, because we want to keep it to ourselves.'' People line up with shopping carts to enter Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center on a recent Thursday. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Dana Gerber can be reached at
Newsweek
5 hours ago
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Social Security Payments of up to $5,108 Being Sent This Week
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Yahoo
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This millennial was rejected from 200 jobs—now he makes millions charging wealthy families six-figures to get their kids into the Ivy Leagues
Like many Gen Zers today, after graduating from college, Christopher Rim was rejected from more than 200 job applications—including at top firms like Goldman Sachs and BCG. But, he says, 'that was the best thing that could have happened to me.' Now, he's making millions disrupting the $3 billion college consultancy industry. How much would you pay to help your child get accepted into Harvard, Stanford, or MIT? $10,000? What about $100,000, or even $750,000? Hundreds of families are paying six-figure price tags to a young millennial named Christopher Rim to get their kids into their top college choices. As the founder and CEO of college admissions consultancy group Command Education, Rim has become a wizard of sorts for how to crack the Ivy League code. Over the last five years, 94% of his clients have been accepted into their top three college choices. And while the $3 billion college consultancy industry may sound like another leg-up the rich have to get their children into schools, Rim says it's about helping students reach their dreams and unlock their potential. After all, on average, only about 5% of pupils who want to go to an Ivy League school actually get in. 'You have one chance. That's it,' the 30-year-old tells Fortune. 'You can't go back to college or apply to these selective universities again.' Unlocking potential is something that hits home in Rim's own story toward success, both in his own journey trying to attend an Ivy League school as well as trying to find his footing as a young graduate. As a public high school student in New Jersey, Rim was told he'd never be cut out for an Ivy League institution. While he admits himself that he wasn't the smartest kid in his class, he had a mission to attend Yale University, and decided to apply even when his guidance counselor pleaded with him to settle for Rutgers University, an in-state public school. Out of the nearly two dozen students from his school who applied to Yale, he was the only one who got in—despite having a lower GPA than the rest. As a student, he kept the ball rolling by charging high schoolers $50 to edit their admissions essays and advising them on how to strengthen their resumes and 'authentically stick out.' After his first two clients got into MIT and Stanford, he realized he might have a gift, and thus Command Education was born in 2015 in his New Haven, Conn., dorm room. However, Rim still wasn't sure it was the key to a post-grad career. Then came the time to apply for jobs. 'I applied to over 200 jobs senior year. All my friends were getting jobs at Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, BCG, major corporations. I got none. I got zero,' he says. 'And that was the best thing to have that happen to me.' Instead of letting the rejection defeat him—like what happens to millions of young adults each year—Rim used it as motivation to help others reach their dream college, too. 'Everyone has this potential, and I was able to instill that confidence and belief and motivate them through the process,' Rim says. 'I think that was a major reason as to why my students succeeded, which, of course, led me to succeed with the business.' So far, Command Education has guided over 1,500 students into top-tier schools, with acceptance rates that soar far above the national average—more than seven times higher at places like Harvard, Caltech, and the University of Chicago. And with parents investing close to $100,000 on average for his services, Rim isn't just shaping student futures, he's built a booming business in the process. While he declined to comment on his company's revenue, his average fee and high demand would put that figure in the millions. (Rim also explained that the $750,000 price tag was a one-off example that included working with a student starting in middle school and having unlimited access to services.) With or without professional help, getting into a top institution is no easy feat. In fact, over the last decade, colleges have only gotten more selective in the students they accept. However, it's not because schools have gotten much smaller in size, it's because more students are applying. For Harvard's class of 2028, who just finished their first year of college, over 54,000 applicants battled for just 1,970 seats; an acceptance rate of 3.6%. That's up from about 37,000 applicants competing for 2,080 spots for the class of 2019, an acceptance rate of 5.6%. Even then, not all accepted students ultimately choose to attend that school. At the same time, college is only getting more expensive. Tuition and fees at private universities have increased by about 41%, when adjusted for inflation, according to U.S. News and World Report. And while some colleges have made attempts at softening the burden for many lower-income students—like Harvard making tuition free for families making less than $200,000—attending a top college remains an uphill battle for many students. However, Rim says services like his aren't making the process less equitable, but rather helping young people find their true calling. 'I know I am not helping my student take a spot away from a middle-class student or a lower-income family student,' Rim adds. 'I'm helping other wealthy families and their kids compete against other wealthy families.' And despite some students feeling that their degree wasn't worth the cost, Rim says demand is higher than it's ever been before. But young people are expanding their interests outside of the traditional Ivy Leagues to other top-ranked schools like Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of North Carolina. 'If you want to get a specific job at a bank, consulting firm, or become a doctor or lawyer, your school is going to matter a lot,' he tells Fortune. But at the end of the day, he says it's about finding students' passions and interests. 'I really will never tell a student, join the debate team, join band club, join newspaper club, because we think that's what colleges want. In fact, it's the total opposite,' Rim says. 'Do what you want.' This story was originally featured on
