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ShredFest Returns to Miami on May 17 & 21

By Randy Hollowell, IT Services

ShredFest is your opportunity to bring confidential office and personal documents for secure, on-site shredding. (It is advised that you separate your personal and Miami documents before you bring them to the shred event.)

A mobile shredder from Document Destruction will be at the Oxford campus Thursday, May 17, (during finals week) between 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Cook Field (near Pulley Tower).

The shredder will also visit the regional campuses on Monday, May 21. It will be at Middletown in the parking lot outside of Johnston Hall from 9-11 a.m. and at Hamilton in the parking lot outside Wilks Conference Center from 1-3 p.m.Shredding technician loading the shred truck near Cook Field.

Last spring 135 people attended the event and shredded nearly 9,000 pounds of documents. That surpassed the previous year’s mark of about 8,400 pounds at this annual event, co-sponsored by IT Services and the office of general counsel.

According to Connie Johnson, data security analyst within IT Services, outdated paper documents can pose a significant risk for identity theft. “Anything that has a signature, an account number, social security number, or medical information poses a risk. During ShredFest people drop off old bank statements and checks, ATM receipts, credit card receipts, address labels from junk mail, old utility bills, and outdated tax forms just to name a few items,” noted Johnson.

Johnson says that providing an annual shredding service for the campus and for the community helps to cut down the risk of data loss and provides a secure way to dispose of sensitive documents. “When people drop items off at the event, they tell us it gives them a sense of relief to finally get rid of old documents they no longer need and peace of mind that they are disposed of securely,” she said.

If you are not totally sure what personal documents should be shredded, or how long you should hang on to personal information, the Federal Trade Commission has a great guide for helping make that decision.

Please note that university documents must have reached the end of their retention period and be accompanied by a signed Records Disposal Form. The Miami University Records Retention Schedule and disposal forms are available from the office of general counsel website.

For more information on the ShredFest event, please visit MiamiOH.edu/UIT/ShredFest or contact Connie Johnson (IT Services)

For questions regarding document retention, contact: Aimee Smart (Office of General Counsel)

Electronic Recycling

If you have a need to recycle university-owned computers or peripherals, please use the Request Recycling form.

For information about where to recycle personal electronics such as computers and televisions, as well as fluorescent light bulbs and batteries, please visit the Butler County Recycling website.