As much as any other endeavor, grunting and groaning over laundry may be the one campus activity that unites students from Danielsen Hall to 1019 Commonwealth Ave. for that unavoidable campus chore. And despite broken dryers, crowded laundry rooms and damp clothes left sopping on top of washers by students eager to use a free machine, the fact remains that Boston University runs its laundry service well enough. Though the university could install fancy webcams and offer more complex payment options to the process, the best thing administrators can do for students is also the simplest — keep the machines repaired and affordable.
Though it may be tempting to ask the administration to charge a flat fee for laundry, as many other campuses do, students ultimately get a better deal paying for their own laundry loads individually. Like many undergraduate fees, the administration could abuse a laundry fee by charging more for the service than the average student spends. Like the sports pass, students would likely brush off the cost of a laundry fee even if it grossly overcharged them. Plus, making students pay for laundry with their own money serves as an incentive to save water and energy by combining loads. This helps the environment.
As obvious as it may seem, the best way BU can improve its laundry experience is to put the money it already makes from coins and Convenience Points to better use. The prices Vending Services charges for laundry are fair, but students should expect better service from the company, since it charges about the same as independent laundromats without having to pay high rent for its facilities. The company already does a good job reimbursing and repairing its washing and drying machines as long as students report them.
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