Students living in the dorms returned from break to a new routine for getting their laundry done. On Jan. 2, residents received an email explaining the washing machines in the unit were being removed from Jan. 2 to Jan. 4. But why where these laundry machines removed so close to the spring semester? Bob Boyle, the Senior Director of Housing and Residence Life, explained it was due to a contract disagreement with the machines’ provider.

“To be honest, there was a contract disagreement with the company that had been providing us the laundry service, the equipment, and there was a lot of back and forth leading up to December and it carried through into winter break, which delayed the removal of the old equipment, which has now delayed the installation of the new equipment from our new provider,” Boyle said. “A lot of the planning and the actual removal and now the upcoming installation of the new equipment was directly impacted by these contract disagreements.”

Boyle explained that due to the the contract disagreements, the students received a notice via email the same day the washing machines were removed.

“Because of the contract issue back and forth, the exact timing of the removal, which then impacted the installation timing for the new equipment, it all came together very quickly,” Boyle explained. “We did send notice on January 2 to residents, but that was also the day that the outgoing company started to remove their equipment.”

Residents living in the dorms were unaware of the contract disagreement and some students wished the time between the email sent out and the removal of the machines had been more timely.

“I woke up to an email about the washers and dryers here are going to be taken out and replaced,” said Brett Holland, a senior studying computer science. Holland is currently living in the Fountains. “They notified me that the same day that the washers and dryers were to be yanked out. I had loaded my entire laundry and carted it to the place just down the hall from my room and it was an empty room.”

Until the washing machines are installed, housing will be providing trips to a local laundromat so students can continue to keep up with their laundry.

“We are essentially doing two field trips to a local laundromat,” Boyle said. “Some of those details are still being worked out, but the evening of January 9 and the afternoon of January 13 we’re sponsoring two bus trips to a local laundromat for a few hours to allow students that really are in desperate need to bring what they want to get washed and dried. We’re still working out the exact details with a local laundromat, but we’ll have that wrapped up pretty quickly and we will be sending out exact information on what that looks like.”

Boyle is optimistic for the future and hopes to have the washing machines installed earlier than expected.

“The actual equipment has already arrived, but the company that is providing the equipment, they have to come install it a certain way with our help,” Boyle explained. “The equipment is on campus but the installation will not begin until January 14. There’s a possibility that the new provider will be able to start earlier than that, but right now the current plan is it will go in on January 14, and, if things go according to plan, hopefully by no later than the 18 everything will be in and operational.”

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