At the beginning of the academic year, Rountree Commons switched contracts so students would not have to pay for laundry out-of-pocket. Many students are under the impression it is free. In actuality, the cost of laundry is built into the residence’s housing costs each semester.
Matthew Zielinski, one of three assistant directors of residence life, stated Rountree Commons opened in 2012, and the building was managed differently. A management company ran the building, and the laundry machines were held under a different company than the rest of campus.
Over the last four years, residence halls have been switching from coin-operated to card-operated. About two years ago, all halls, with the exception of Rountree Commons, renewed their contracts with an appliance company, which updated all of the systems that were not already I.D. swipe and passport fund-capable.
Residence life was cautious at first and anticipated residents from other halls trying to take advantage of the situation.
“The students here [at Rountree Commons] realize the ratio of washers and dryers to students is pretty similar to what it is in a traditional style building,” said Kathryn Peck, residence director of Rountree Commons. “They still need to do their laundry and the laundry systems still get full, so if people are seeing residents who do not live in the building and they’re bringing in loads of laundry to do them here, they would get pretty defensive.”
The built-in tuition-laundry system has had positive feedback among students currently living there.
“The laundry system is great; it’s free,” Rachel Hopkins, a freshman accounting and business administration major, said. “It’s really nice to not have to worry about quarters or passport funds.”