Coin-less Laundry at Bard

Dear Mr. Papadimitriou,

We, the students of Bard College, support the implementation of a Coin-less laundry system within the school.

The cost for this system would be covered by a small addition to the housing fee for on campus students. Students living on campus would then be able to do unlimited laundry without using quarters. We additionally would request that a local company be used to provide these machines.

Replacing the machines currently operated by Coinmach with new coin-less machines from a local provider will effect positive change on student life by:

1. Eliminate the dependence on the campus center quarter machine
a. Using the current system, students must pay in quarters for every laundry cycle. Unfortunately, they must rely on a single vending machine for quarters, which often runs out or breaks.

2. Decrease the number of broken machines
A quarter-based system encourages overstuffing laundry machines, the prime cause of broken machines. Reducing the number of broken machines will:
a. Reduce the cost of maintenance for the machines, saving money.
b. Increase the effectiveness of cleaning, getting clean clothes the first time.
c. Reduce the time machines cannot be used.

3. Save water and energy
a. Replacing the old Coinmach machines with newer, environmentally friendly machines will save water and energy, even with a usage increase.
b. By eliminating the environmental impact of Coinmach vehicles driving from New York City to repair the washing machines we will further save energy.

4. Increase speed of repairs
a. Current repairs can take up to a week. In dorms that only have one laundry system this wait is unacceptable. A local company will be able to provide faster services.
b. Jammed quarters and other such mechanical issues will be eliminated by the new system.


This solution will benefit students, Bard College, the environment and the local economy. Students care about this issue and a great deal of thought and hard work has been put into this initiative over the past year. We urge you to work with students and providers to implement this system as soon as possible.