Students living in Blount Hall moved into their dormitory this year to find that their new laundry room was not equipped to take payment and have not paid for laundry in the three months since. 

The laundry room was renovated over the summer, according to Shane Dorrill, the assistant director of communications for the University, who said delays in obtaining the card readers led to free laundry for Blount residents.  

“They will start having to pay this semester as soon as the card readers are installed,” Dorrill said. 

 Dorrill did not specify exactly when the new readers would be installed. 

Ian McHugh, a freshman majoring in finance and economics and a Blount Hall resident, said residents weren’t told why they didn’t have to pay. 

“I don’t really know what’s happening,” McHugh said. “I would love for laundry to be free for everyone.” 

McHugh came in prepared to pay for laundry back in August but was told by an RA that it would be free after he arrived, though the RA was unsure why.  

Posters have recently gone up in Blount laundry rooms showing students how to pay for their laundry, according to Link Hernandez, a freshman majoring in music composition living in Blount Hall. 

Each residence hall on campus has a laundry room, and under normal circumstances each resident pays a certain amount to use the washer and dryer.  

Elizabeth Kestle, a freshman majoring in news media living in John England Hall, and Allie Edwards, a freshman majoring in nursing living in Ridgecrest South, said they paid between $40 and $90 on laundry this semester.  

Washers cost $1.50 per load and dryers cost $1.25 for the first hour, and then an additional $.25 for every additional 15 minutes. 

“I don’t think the cost of laundry is worth as much as it is,” said Sophia Jennings, a freshman majoring in nursing who lives in Riverside West. “If it was 25 cents or even 50 cents, I would be fine with it.” 

Some students go to the laundry room at least once or twice a week, like Madison Stitzer, a freshman majoring in international studies living in Presidental Village I. Stitzer said she likes to keep it to a constant schedule, to avoid the crowds and people intruding on her laundry even though it is not done. 

“It should be cheaper,” Kestle said. “A lot of times I have to do a double cycle to dry my clothes properly.”