Communal Washing Machines Make Debut On Campus
Azusa Pacific University’s Facilities Management has replaced communal washing machines and dryers in: Trinity Hall, Adams Hall, Smith Hall, Engstrom Hall, Bowles, Shire Mods and University Park. The machines were recently replaced because the prior contract with the school had come to an end.
“The contract had expired with the previous provider. Due to service issues, reliability issues and general customer service issues, we decided to go with something different,” Tim Long said, the Director of Event Services said.
Between all the different housing areas, including dormitories and sophomore housing, there is a total of 186 machines that were replaced––with a total of 94 new washers and 92 dryers.
“The cost of the machines was worked into the agreement with the revenue that is generated by them, so out of pocket they did not cost anything,” Long said. “They are paid for by the length of the contract, so in a sense they pay for themselves.”
These machines are different from the previous ones because they accept debit and credit cards. This is more convenient for the students, as they don’t have to use their “wash cards.”
“The new machines are a lot easier to use because you don’t have to constantly load your wash card,” sophomore journalism major Taylor Meckley said. “It saves me money because now whenever I use the machines, that certain amount gets directly take out from my card, rather than me going to deposit 10, 15 or 20 dollars on my wash card just for a single use of the machine.”
Although, some students found the upgrade with the machines to be beneficial, the price has slightly increased. The previous price was $1.25 for the washer and $1 for the dryer. Now the price for drying has increased 25 cents, and is now $1.25 as well.
Even though there is a slightly greater expense, the new machines have made laundry easier. There were little things that pushed students away from using the previous laundry machines. Students found themselves washing smaller load of clothes, spending more money and facing the problem of rarely having their clothes dried completely. Now, the new machines changed everything around and students are doing the exact opposite of what they used to.
“I would constantly have to wash my clothes in small loads and that cost more money. Now I am able to wash larger loads of clothes and have all my clothes dry once I take them out of the dryer. I appreciate the changes that have been made,” freshmen Courtney Page said.
Students are still in the process of getting reimbursed from their wash cards. In order for students to get reimbursed, they must go to the Felix Event Center Ticket Box Office on West Campus and ask for a wash refund envelope. From there, students put their old wash cards in the envelope and write their existing balance on their wash card and mail it off to WASH. Once the card is received and processed by WASH, students will receive a check in the mail with the remaining balance that was left on their cards.