<p>Oh this makes me sad. That was such a fun perk of the school. They are implementing "free" washer-dryers, but readily admit that their $58K tuition/fees/room/board will probably absorb that cost The end of an era :(</p>
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“It’s a tradition that obviously dates back to when the campus had a slightly different feel,” Carol E. Quillen, Davidson’s president, said Thursday. “We think it’s time to discontinue free and full-service laundry for our students.”</p>
<p>It will take a year to complete the transition, in part because the college wants to help the 14 people who work at its laundry find positions elsewhere.</p>
<p>By May 2015, Davidson will require students to do their own wash. However, they won’t have to pay when they use campus washers and dryers. Quillen said the college studied whether to go with coin-operated machines. “We decided that wasn’t the right move at this moment,” she said.
<p>My first thought is that this might affect their male/female ratio. As the mom of 4 boys I have to say I liked the idea of them not coming home with weeks or months of dirty laundry. Now I have to count on an interest in girls to make them do laundry.</p>
<p>They are helping then get new jobs. They arent just abandoning them.
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<p>I dont recall seeing washer/dryers when DS attended a summer program there. but then again I wasnt looking for them. Everyone knew about the laundry service.</p>
<p>Why are boys allowed to come home with weeks and months of dirty laundry? They should start doing their own laundry before they leave for college. </p>
<p>Some enterprising student’s at D’s university did just that - now it’s their full-time business. You sign up by semester (can pay with the student id/debit card), they let you know when they’re picking up at your dorm, take your clothes to a laundry, and bring them back the next day. They do this for 3 universities in the area. </p>
<p>Davidson was crossed off the list after visiting. Part of the reason was the fact that laundry was done for students. Wife and I thought this practice was very odd. Send your kid to university to learn self-reliance and responsibility, and someone else does your laundry? </p>
<p>I like doing my kids’ laundry. For one thing, it saves energy since I can put a decent-sized load together rather than wash the two or three things they want for the next day. For another, my kids are already very self-reliant and know how to do it if they need to. But ESPECIALLY with self-reliant kids, it’s nice to have a few things to do that make me feel useful as a mom. :)</p>
<p>When I was visiting my son in early March, it was about 30, windy and freezing cold. We saw one of his good friends going into the residential hall with a pair of shorts on. When I asked him about his clothing choice for the weather, he indicated it was out of necessity because his shorts were the only clean thing he had to wear! Apparently, it was laundry day that night! :D</p>
<p>Also, I recommended to my son that he might want to make sure to wash all of his stuff that he was going to store before he put it in boxes. Taking out dirty laundry from a box that has been in storage all summer might not be very pleasant. He was very thankful for the recommendation. I believe that he said, “Good idea mom.” Hopefully, he followed up on the advice as well. :)</p>
<p>I really appreciated the Davidson laundry service when S was a Duke Talent Search student there the summers after 7th & 8th grade. While I had both kids trained in laundry by college, they were perhaps behind grade level in middle school regarding the subject of laundry </p>
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