In a move that will do away with individual payments, card swipes and loose change in laundry rooms, the University of Missouri has decided to charge a flat semester fee for students living in campus residence halls.
According to a report from Missouri's campus publication, The Maneater, students living on campus will be charged a flat fee each semester that will allow unlimited use of residence hall washers and dryers. The $50 fee will replace the previous $1.25 charge for each washer and dryer load. Students are charged the fee each semester and will still use their student IDs to activate the machines.
Missouri's Residence Hall Association advocated for the switch alongside input from students living in the halls. Students were notified of the change via email by the Department of Residential Life, and it's projected that students who do at least five loads of laundry each month will ultimately save money with the new pricing system.
The $50 fee was decided upon by committee following a consensus among key campus groups including the Residence Hall Association, ResLife and university administration. Each student living in campus residence halls will see the laundry fee automatically added to their room and board expenses.
The new system will also introduce a feature called "Wash Alert," which will send email or text notifications to students regarding the status of their washer and dryer.
One possible caveat to the new pricing structure is the potential for students to swipe to allow non-residents to use the laundry facilities. University officials concede that this issue was raised when considering the change, but after speaking with other universities that charge a flat rate it was determined that bringing laundry from off campus to the halls is inconvenient enough to deter non-residents.
University officials will monitor the new laundry system regularly throughout the coming semester to evaluate costs and plot any necessary changes.