To wash and dry a single load of laundry in any laundry room on the California Lutheran University campus costs $2.50. This amount is paid by the students’ personal credit card and can add up. A survey was sent to all Cal Lutheran students Feb. 27 asking for their opinions on the laundry services on campus.

Multiple questions were asked on the survey, such as, “How often do you do laundry on campus?” or “Would you support the prices of laundry services being included as a semester housing fee?”

Chris Paul, assistant dean of students and director of Residence Life and Student Conduct, said the survey was sent out for multiple reasons, one being that students have complained about money never being put back on their credit cards or that some students do not have a debit or credit card at all. Paul said that it is not convenient to have to pay separately for each load.

The laundry services on campus would change to include the cost of laundry in the housing fee, which would be about $40. Paul met with a company called Just Like Home Laundry to find a solution.

“The company would make it so that students do not have to swipe credit cards or input money to wash and dry a load. It would be just like doing it at home,” Paul said.

A water, upkeep and electricity fee would be included in the semester housing fee. Paul said this change in campus laundry services would add the benefit of not having to spend money each time a person does laundry. She hopes that by making this change, students will not have to go home as much on the weekends to do their laundry, and that there can be more of a community atmosphere on campus.

“A lot of institutions do it and they say that it is very successful, because it’s kind of a perk,” Paul said about the decision to switch the laundry services.

Paul said it is ultimately up to the students and the response the Associated Student California Lutheran University Government gets from the survey. ASCLUG Freshman Representative Karyme Lara Chagoya on Senate is looking forward to getting the results of the survey.

“We are waiting until Friday [March 9] to close the survey. After that, Chris [Paul] and I will have a meeting next week to talk about the results and see what we can do next,” Chagoya explained. She said she hopes that a plan can be put into action soon after.

Chagoya also mentioned that ideally students will have unlimited washing and drying. As Paul mentioned, Chagoya said she thinks this would be a beneficial decision for all students who live on campus.

The price for laundry can add up, especially when laundry on campus is the only option.

“I would benefit from the change of laundry being a part of the semester housing fee because I am paying it myself right now and I need to save money for gas,” sophomore Leilani Querubin said.

Querubin lives in Potenburg and does her laundry about once or twice every two weeks. This means that she spends about 6 dollars or more depending on how many loads she has. That money alone could pay for about two gallons of gas.

“I think it would be very beneficial for students to not have to pay extra money on their credit cards because a lot of students pay for it themselves,” Querubin said.

If the laundry services were to change anytime soon, Paul said it would likely be added to the fall 2018 housing fee at the earliest, or included in the fall 2019 housing fee.

Luisa Virgen
Reporter