At the start of the new semester, laundry and dining updates swept Suffolk University’s student housing.
Recent renovations included replacing old washing machines and dryers, with the goal of making laundry more efficient for residential students. New dining options were also added, including the opening of Sal’s Pizza on the ground floor of the One Court Residence Hall and the return of the Market in Sawyer. Both offer options for students to purchase with a Suffolk ID card.
According to some residential students, laundry in student housing was never a simple task.
“It seems to be a common problem within all the dorms in the past two years I’ve been at Suffolk. There were broken laundry machines making it stressful. I’ve had to use the washing machine four times due to it not working, putting ten dollars into the machine,” said Sophie Goodkin, a sophomore at Suffolk. Residence life said the changes brought new life to the laundry spaces, including new floor tiles and a fresh coat of paint.
“Every laundry room was thoroughly cleaned floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall, was freshly painted, and was repaired before the new laundry equipment was installed,” said Jeremy LaPointe, Suffolk residence and housing director.
The time frame over the latest winter break, LaPointe said, provided residence life and facilities staff the perfect opportunity to reset the laundry room spaces more completely.
After Suffolk’s Student Government Association passed a resolution in October to make laundry free across the university’s five residence halls, funds are not needed other than the student’s own detergent and other laundry add-ons.
“It gives me more motivation to do laundry, especially because it’s free,” said Suffolk sophomore Penelope Twining.
Spending nearly five to 10 dollars on laundry a week or every two weeks, depending on the amount of loads, adds up. If a student did two to three loads a week, that would be 20 to 30 dollars per month.
LaPointe stressed that it is also up to students to be responsible when using new equipment to keep these communal spaces working properly for all.
“The rules of laundry haven’t changed with our new equipment — students have always needed to be mindful to not place tide pods in the soap dispenser, or to understand the different quantities of liquid needed when using a high-efficiency detergent versus not,” said LaPointe.
Signs have been added for students to be mindful of these issues, such as the LaundryConnect website, which can remind students when laundry is finished. It is also possible for the website to send an email about the amount of machines available and the time left on each machine in use.
There have been more dining upgrades, including the renovation of the 1 Court Street location, which accepts Food Points from the meal plan. Now, students do not have to add money to their RAM account for an off-campus dining partner and can use their food points from their meal plan of choice. However, this only applies to the 1 Court location, while at 150 Tremont St., RAM accounts will still need to be used by adding money.
“I’m really excited that Suffolk is allowing us to use our meal plan for the new location. The pizza is amazing,” said Goodkin.
The Campus Executive Chef said the department is planning for pop-up events throughout the spring semester, including kitchens where students can learn and prepare meals together.
LaPointe said staff is learning along the way how to address each student’s concerns regarding these specific issues.
“I have confidence that each residence hall, and the communities created within them, will be able to navigate these hurdles, but we will learn along the way and address concerns they arise,” said LaPointe.
