On-campus laundry fee considered

IU-Bloomington has one of the most technologically-savvy campuses in the country. Everything from classrooms to residence halls are equipped with the latest in computer equipment and other electronics.\nSoon, laundry rooms may join the trend. But the technology could cost students between $75 and $150.\nNear the beginning of last fall, Residential Programs and Services proposed the idea of a flat fee for laundry services in the residence halls. The fee, which would offer unlimited laundry services to residents, would be included in the cost of housing and wouldn't be optional for students. \n"I definitely don't think I would use $75 since I only do laundry every three weeks," said senior Matt Rasche, a Teter Quad resident assistant. "It's not a very practical fee to pay. This service wouldn't matter to students like me."\nAlong with instituting a flat fee, more washers and dryers would be placed in residence halls, and the laundry service would be altered. The new laundry service may go above and beyond students' technological expectations.\nResidence Hall Association Vice President for Student Affairs Jon Greene said, though the subject has died down since the fall, there has been some talk of reviving the issue.\n"This sort of technology would be really cool to have in the residence halls," Greene said. \nGreene said originally there were two plans presented to the RHA. The first plan would be cheaper and very similar to the system in place right now. However, only student identification cards would be used. Also, by swiping their student ID cards, residents would have unlimited laundry service, Greene said. \nThe second and more expensive plan would cost students between $100 and $150, but the benefits of it go far beyond the cost, Greene said.\n"The more expensive plan, if implemented, would be very technologically advanced," Greene said. "This would be a plan where students could log onto a Web site that would tell you what machines were in use and how many minutes were left. Also, it could send you an e-mail to notify you when your laundry was finished."\nGreene said if the cheaper fee were to go into effect, it would cost students roughly $75 a year. All students living in the residence halls would have to pay the fee, with no exceptions given, Greene said. \n"Students would not have an option if this fee were to be set for them," Greene said. "That's why they either have to be for it, or against it. There can't be only a selection of students getting it and some not."\nOne problem associated with unlimited laundry usage is the possibility of off-campus students using their friends' ID cards to do unlimited free laundry in the residence halls. Greene said this concern has been addressed in RHA meetings and could be resolved through the new system's capabilities to monitor each student's use of the services. He said while there isn't much the RHA could do to discipline such a practice, they could "have a talk" with students who abuse the system.\n"If we see someone doing 40 loads a week, there's nothing we could do about it," he said. "But we could bring it to their attention and have a talk with them."\nTeter Quad President Deepam Rusia said when RPS approached the RHA with the proposal for a fee, their first concern was student reaction.\n"Setting the fee has to do with our contract with Maytag, who is really pushing for this," Rusia said. "The President's Council discussed the possibility of having this and eventually voted it down. Students just were not in support of it."\nFreshman Landon Martin, from nearby Greensburg, Ind., said he is able to go home most of the time when he needs to do laundry, which would make a flat fee unreasonable for students like him.\n"I think it would really be unfair to students who hardly use the laundry services," Martin said. "The $75 could go to much better causes for students. Students already have enough fees to pay."\nCurrently, students living in the residence halls can do laundry either by using coins or their Campus Access cards. The laundry services cost students $1.25 to use the washers with coins or $1 with a Campus Access card. The cost of the dryer is 75 cents with coins or 50 cents with a Campus Access card.\nGreene said the issue may arise by the end of the semester, but for now, the idea has no official bearing. \nMore information regarding the plan can be found at www.indiana.edu/~rha. \n-- Contact staff writer Matt Mattucci at mmattucc@indiana.edu.