For now, no big changes to faulty machines

Penn has over a year to sort through its dirty laundry, but the Undergraduate Assembly is taking measures now to ensure that student complaints are heard.

Come July 2008, the University's contract with laundry provider Mac-Gray Corporation will expire.

In the meantime, the UA is compiling a survey to gauge just how faulty Penn's laundry facilities are - general student sentiment has confirmed a widespread dissatisfaction - but Housing and Conference Services is not rushing to do anything major before next summer.

Despite the onslaught of complaints about laundry facilities - officials would not disclose any numbers - Mac-Gray is, in fact, sticking to its word and providing adequate service, Dana Matkevich, a spokeswoman for Housing and Conference Services, wrote in an e-mail.

Gordon Rickards, associate director of Housing's Contract Management, added that only about 50 percent of facility malfunctions are actually reported, thus preventing Mac-Gray or Housing officials from taking proper action.

Other explanations given included the fact that many freshmen don't know how to use the machines properly or what to do when there's a problem, Housing spokeswoman Nancy McCue said.

Campus-wide changes, including replacing older machines with newer energy-efficient equipment, will be discussed when Penn renegotiates its contract with Mac-Gray in July 2008, Rickards added.

Still, Mac-Gray officials say, the University could be doing more to quell growing complaints.

John Christian, branch manager for Mac-Gray, said that inadequate ductwork in the dorms could be the reason for ineffective dryers in the high rises.

"If the ductwork for the dryer exhaust in the building has not been cleaned, then clothes will not dry properly," Christian said. "Cleaning and replacing those ducts is the University's responsibility."

College junior Adreyo Sen, who has worked for Housing Services in the past, said Penn also needs to address the uneven distribution of laundry machines.

"In the high rises, there are a good allocation of washers and dryers," he said. "But other buildings like the Quad don't have enough machines for students."

For the 1,567 students living in the Quadrangle, there are currently 80 working washers and dryers, a ratio of roughly 20 students per laundry machine.

Conversely, for the 2,488 students in the High Rises, there are 192 working washers and dryers, a ratio of 12 students per machine.

In comparison, Hill College House has 28, and Kings Court/English House has 14 machines in good shape.

Inadequate distribution of machines makes laundry services unreliable, College junior Graeme Brown said.

"Sometimes, the machines work well," he said. "But if you come at the wrong time, there aren't enough machines that work, and you can pretty much forget about doing your laundry."

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