You've got mail - and clean underwear

Clean laundry is just an e-mail away.

Housing and Conference Services will be implementing a new laundry-alert program in Sansom Place next semester.

The program will send electronic notifications to students when their laundry is complete, Housing Services spokeswoman Dana Matkevich said.

If the electronic notifications receive positive feedback from students, it is likely the system will spread to the other college houses, said College freshman and Undergraduate Assembly Facilities Committee member Claire Choi, who is working closely with Housing Services on this project.

"The laundry-alert system is definitely ahead, and it really shows what we're working toward - anything that makes facilities easier, more efficient and more usable," Choi said.

The logisitics for the service are not firmly established thus far, but Choi said students will likely preregister and swipe cards or type in PIN numbers in order to access e-mail notification.

And although the program has yet to be publicized, students who live in Sansom are eager to see it put into action

Sansom resident and College sophomore Yvette Aikins said these alerts "would save a lot of time. . I would really appreciate the convenience."

College junior Amelie Francois, who also lives in Sansom, agreed. "I think it's a great idea," she said.

Aikins also noted that one of the biggest advantages to having such a system is that "there would be less of a reason for people to leave their laundry in the machines and more of a chance that machines will be free for others to use."

Mac-Gray Corporation, the company that currently provides Penn's washers and dryers, will also provide the required technology for the program.

Beyond the electronic notifications, the UA is taking other measures - via an official "Laundry Facilities Plan of Action" - to make doing laundry easier for students.

Next week, UA members will place instructions for handling laundry malfunctions, as well as survey sheets, in two laundry rooms in Ware College House.

In addition, the UA is currently creating a survey that will gauge what students want to see from Penn's laundry services in the future.

The purpose of the survey is to give students the opportunity to offer suggestions about effective ways to improve Housing's laundry services.

"Maybe they want text-message notifications or more payment options, like paying a flat fare at the beginning of the year," Choi said.

The survey will be available for students at the beginning of the semester.

"There are a lot of options out there, and we want to find out exactly what students want," Choi said.

But the most important thing on students' minds is working machines.

"I'd just like to see a more accurate survey of the current machines. The dryers go on, make noises, and, 60 minutes later, the clothes are still wet," Francois said.

Aikins also said dysfunctional machines were her main concern.

"Sometimes, your laundry will dry, and sometimes, it won't. It gets to be very annoying," she said.

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