LIFESTYLE: Churning the Tide

Mention the word "laundry" to students, and many cringe in disgust. "Next week," some say, while others just shake their head, declining to disclose the last time they set foot into the laundry rooms around campus. And while their ways of doing laundry may differ, students all must face the stark reality: one day, they will run out of clean underwear. Some stock up in preparation for the eventual end of clean clothes, while others just find the time weekly to do a washload. And although the service sounds like an excellent idea, some students complain that the PSA distributes poor quality linens. One student, Engineering junior Hyunsuk Seung, added he found the service inconvenient, saying he no longer uses the service because the distribution places were not open all of the time. So after experimenting with the service, some students will turn to professionals to handle the dirty work. One manager of Henry's II Cleaners in Houston Hall, which offers dry cleaning services, said earlier this week that nearly 75 percent of their business is from students. Freshmen said they feel especially hard-hit by the responsibility of laundry with most using a laundry machine for the first time. College freshman Seong-Joo Jeong complains that freshmen must not only fit laundry into their weekly schedule, but when laundry time finally rolls around, "there aren't enough machines or laundry rooms" for the students to use. And although South Campus Assistant Director for Residential Serivces Gordon Rickards said there are laundry machines in every renovated dorm, several students complained that the University is unresponsive to the needs of the students. For instance, coupled with trouble of lugging laundry to a room several dorms away, students said they virtually always to wait for empty machines. College freshman Andrew Eisenstein summed it up when he said that "it's stupid to have as many washers as dryers because everyone knows it takes three times longer to dry than it does to wash." Most of the residents of the Quadrangle contacted over the past two weeks, say they are displeased with the cost, scarcity of machines, and the cleanliness of the laundry rooms. University laundry machines cost 75 cents to wash clothes and an additional 50 cents to try them. One student, College freshman Jeanne Mahoney, remarked earlier this week that the Butcher laundry room is infested with ants. Students complain that some dryers don't heat up, while the washers do not drain completely. Students find themselves in a battle to get a good machine. To counter the scarcity of laundry machines on campus, some students said they find odd hours and new ways of doing their wash in order to avoid the long lines for facilities. Wharton freshman Navdeep Singh explained that he washes his clothes between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. But others try to save money and time by asking friends to take care of the mess. Wharton freshman Brian Gustason said that since September he has only done his wash twice. "I bribed some girls to do my laundry -- twice," he said. However, he adds that he "plans on washing it more in the future." "I'm set for the next two months," the Quad resident gloated after having brought his clean clothes back from his home in Arizona. Reliance on mom's cleaning is still the basic motto for freshmen who never set foot in the University's laundry rooms. Michael Izhaky, an Engineering freshman, said that he takes his laundry home to Brooklyn each weekend. Although freshmen seem to find laundry time to be especially difficult, upperclassmen must also deal with the problem. High Rise residents, comprised primarily of upperclassmen, said they are blessed with laundry rooms on every even floor, adding that it is more convienent, safer and more efficient than the Quadrangle. "It's not that bad," said College sophomore Jennifer Shulman as she puts detergent into the washer. She says that doing laundry in the Quad was a hassle because she was always concerned about theft. But she disregarded people's complaints on the lack of laundry machines, saying that students just have to plan ahead. A diligent washer, Shulman does her laundry weekly. But others take the task of laudry less seriously. College junior Chris Geisel, who "mooches" detergent, does his laundry bi-weekly, still complained that its "too expensive" to wash his clothes.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.