Undergraduate Student Government President Cole Lee announced that a free-laundry initiative for residents is a priority on his agenda at the senate meeting, last Thursday.
“A change of this nature, with its enormous magnitude, the sheer scope of it is a undertaking that requires a massive amount of time and effort,” Lee said at the meeting.
Out of the four SUNY university centers, Stony Brook is the only one that does not provide a free laundry service for its students. Although University of Albany and University at Buffalo have similar housing rates to Stony Brook, with a standard double room at UAlbany costing $7,732 and UBuffalo costing $7,798, Stony Brook charges $7,778 per school year and students pay $1.75 per laundry cycle.
“I do laundry maybe twice a month,” said Tabler resident Shalvi Ashraf. “So spending $6 once a month, it doesn’t break the bank, but it would be a nice gesture.”
But he also has his doubts and is concerned people might exploit free-laundry.
“Everyone is a cheap college student,” Ashraf said. “I’m sure people will have their parents bring over clothes too.”
There are also environmental concerns, according to R. Lawrence Swanson, the director of the Waste Reduction and Management Institute and Associate Dean at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook.
“The things that might be of concern are the increased use of water and the need to treat that in our sewage treatment plant. There are already concerns about where the existing effluent will go. Of course there are the chemicals associated with detergents etc. in the laundry,” Swanson said.
Students have to add funds to Wolfie Wallet. to pay for laundry at Stony Brook’s residence halls. The minimum deposit is $10, and Wolfie Wallet is the only way students can pay for laundry. Free -laundry could make Wolfie Wallet obsolete, which could save students the hassle of refilling their card, but other students feel that free laundry could also mean more than just saving money.
“It will make everything a lot easier,” Allison Darling, a resident of Kelly quad said. “Pretty much the only reason I have any money in my Wolfie Wallet is for laundry, so it will eliminate that.”
Lee stressed the importance of the voice of the student body in the coming election.
“If there is anyone out there that questions our efforts to maximize the student experience for every single undergraduate student on this campus, I urge them to speak to any single one of [us USG senators] or to speak to me directly,” Lee said
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