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Some of the items were left in the common area of the four-unit apartment Chen shares with roommates.

“We felt that if the items in the common area were important to someone, then they would have put them in their bedroom for safekeeping while they were away,” the email said. “Therefore, due to your lack of responsibility these items were considered as trash [left] behind and therefore were all thrown out and removed as garbage as well while the unit was getting cleaned.”

Chen said she left items such as her television in the common room to share with her roommates.

She had prepaid her rent for the summer and was enrolled for classes this year, and doesn’t understand why the items were thrown out when she has gone home for summer break every year with no problem.

Chen has replaced some of the items since she needs them for school. However, she hasn’t been reimbursed for any of the belongings that were removed.

We are committed to constantly improving those policies and procedures and we are committed to enhancing students’ experience while here. Situations like this help us identify where and how we can make those improvements

“I’m very, very helpless,” she said. “It’s the record of my university life … Emotionally, it’s like someone used an eraser, has erased something very important of your life.”

A spokesperson for the U of A’s Residence Services wasn’t immediately available Thursday, but Doug Dawson, associate vice-president for ancillary services, said the university’s policies and procedures governing how students’ belongings are handled when they move out were followed in Chen’s case.

“We are committed to constantly improving those policies and procedures and we are committed to enhancing students’ experience while here. Situations like this help us identify where and how we can make those improvements.”