I just wish there were more of them! I live in Safford and there are only two washers and two dryers for the whole dorm.” “I like the new washers and dryers, personally,” said Stang, “It’s annoying that they are more expensive, but I am willing to pay more to use more eco-friendly machines. Amherst College students pay between $1.25 and $1.50 for each wash or dry cycle.īut despite Mount Holyoke’s high cost of laundry, some students like Christy Stang ’19 are willing to pay the price for moreenvironmentally-friendly laundry machines. The price of laundry may be subsidized by Hampshire College or included in students’ tuition or room and board package. Hampshire College also uses Automatic Laundry, but students do not have to pay for their laundry when using the machines. Smith College charges $1.35 for wash and $1.35 for a dry with a Smith OneCard, and if the user uses coins instead, the price is $1.50. Their washes are priced at $1.40 per cycle and $1.40 per dry. UMass Amherst uses the same laundry vendor as Mount Holyoke, Automatic Laundry.

However, looking at Mount Holyoke’s neighbors in the Five College Consortium, Mount Holyoke appears to charge the most for its laundry services. “We believe that the improved machines and service will give good value for the cost and is still well below the price per load at a local laundry provider of $2 for smaller machines and up to $6.50 for larger machines,” the statement read. In its statement, the College said that despite the increase, the prices for each cycle are still below average for dorm machines. “This is part of contract negotiations,” explained Vanderpoel, “It is really set by the vendor trying to cover the cost of new machines.” When asked why students were not consulted about the price increase, Douglas Vanderpoel, the Director of Auxilary Services, explained that the price is set by the vendor. With the current system, the price has been increased to $1.75 for both wash and dry cycles. With the previous system, the price per wash cycle was $1.50 and the same for a dryer cycle. And for students, that price is now 25 cents extra. However, the new machines did not come without a price. This process, according to the College’s statement, will “reduce downtime and ensure that our laundry rooms operate at peak efficiency.” The system also notifies the service provider of any problems with the machines. 31 to MyMountHolyoke from the College, an online system will now alert students when their wash and dry cycles are complete, and will allow the user to see which machines are available in their dorms. Thus, according to the Energy Star website, they tend to be better for the environment.Īlong with new card-readers attached to each machine, the washing machines allow users to choose among different settings to select the temperature of the water and soil level of the clothes and cycle type, unlike the previousset of machines that only distinguishedbetween whites, darks, colors, delicates or perm press.Īccording to a statement posted on Aug. Energy Star is a government-backed symbol meant to signify that a particular product is above average in energy efficiency. The new vendor, Automatic Laundry Company, has provided Speed Queen Quantum machines and Energy Star certified washers. The search for a new vendor began in the fall of 2016, as Mount Holyoke’s contract with the previous laundry vendor was set to expire. And now, each dorm on campus has been equipped with new washing machines and dryers.

There are many new changeson the MountHolyoke campus this fall, including the renovation of Blanchard Campus Center, the consolidationof the campus store withthe Odyssey Bookshop and the move of student mailboxes to Auxiliary Services.

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