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ShredFest 2025 Introduced Additional Services

Rain couldn't keep IT Services and General Counsel from shredding!

by Randy Hollowell, IT Services • Published •
Rainy day next to the shredding truck
It may have been pouring out, but our teams showed up to shred all the same.

ShredFest 2025 Introduced Additional Services

It may have been pouring out, but our teams showed up to shred all the same.
by Randy Hollowell, IT Services • Published •

Although the weather was not ideal, ShredFest 2025 was once again a huge success, not only for the University but also for the communities we call home. This year marked year 15 for the annual shredding event, and for the first time in several years, we had to deal with some inclement weather on each of the two days. The event, co-sponsored by IT Services and the Office of General Counsel, was held in Middletown and Hamilton on Monday, May 12, and in Oxford on Tuesday, May 13. A total of 106 people attended this year’s ShredFest, which is a slight decrease from our attendance last year. We were able to collect nearly 8,600 pounds of paper to be shredded, which is about 500 fewer pounds than we did a year ago, but considering the rain that fell both days, it was still a solid total.

According to John Virden, Assistant Vice President, Security, Compliance, & Risk Management, and Chief Information Security Officer, outdated paper documents can pose a significant risk for identity theft.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bank statements and checks, ATM receipts, credit card receipts, address labels from junk mail, old utility bills, and outdated tax forms, just to name a few items.”

Randy Hollowell, Manager of Communications and Customer Advocacy within IT Services, 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 being disposed of securely,” he said.

New this year was also the opportunity for community members to drop off batteries, printer cartridges, and small electronics for recycling or proper disposal. In total, there were about 50 pounds worth of batteries, 75 - 100 pounds of small electronics, and 10 pounds of printer cartridges.

“This is also really a community-focused event,” Hollowell added. “Folks around Oxford, Middletown, and Hamilton remember that ShredFest is coming and save their documents.”

“I always look forward to this every year,” one ShredFest attendee commented.

ShredFest was held at the Oxford, Middletown, and Hamilton campuses. A mobile shredder provided by ERTH Systems Shredding was on hand to provide secure, on-site shredding of both University and personal documents. Representatives from IT Services and the Office of General Counsel assisted with the shredding process, as well as worked with attendees to make sure all University documents had reached the proper retention limit and that the Records Disposal forms were completed.

Preparations for next year’s event are already underway. The plan is for the event in Oxford to occur on the Thursday of the May graduation. Specific dates and times for Oxford and the regional campuses are still being finalized.

If you cannot wait until next May to shred documents, there are several options.

  • For University documents, visit the Records and Retention website and follow the stated process, which includes completing the Request for Records Disposal form. Please be aware that the University is currently under a litigation hold, so departments, faculty, and staff should be retaining most University documents.
  • For personal documents, several area banks, including LCNB National Bank, provide shredding events throughout the year.
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Security Awareness IT Services