Once-Broken Dryers in Good Repair

Facilities officials have successfully kept the number of broken dryers in the Ellicott laundry rooms to a minimum since last September, when The Spectrum found nearly 30 percent of the machines were broken.

Last year, a Sept. 17 article in The Spectrum found that 22 of the 74 dryers in the Ellicott complex were not in operation. Two months later, the number of broken dryers was down to six. This semester, that number is down to four.

One Ellicott residential manager credited the improvement both to the light The Spectrum shed on the problem, and also recent changes to the University Residence Halls' procedures regarding the laundry facilities.

As of Monday, the only broken dryers were in Fargo, Wilkeson, and Red Jacket, where there were two dryers that did not work.

Don Erb, residential facilities manager of Ellicott, said that so far this year there have been only a couple of complaints in regards to machines not working.

Ben Cassidy, a sophomore pharmacy major, said he's noticed the improvement.

"I've only had problems with a broken dryer once, and that was aggravating because I was in a hurry that day," said Cassidy, who lives in Red Jacket. "Overall, I think it's a lot better than last year. Everything seems to be working alright, at least in Red Jacket."

Dave Horesh, a freshman environmental studies major, echoed Cassidy and said he attributed the breakdowns to overuse.

"There's one dryer in my building that hasn't worked all year and there have been ones with 'Out of Order' signs, but I haven't really had a problem with the other ones," said Horesh, a Wilkeson resident. "The equipment is just overworked and isn't meant to be run as much as it is, which is why it takes three hours to dry a load that should take 45 minutes."

Erb encouraged students to continue placing "Out of Order" signs on broken machines and to make use of the work order applications online.

"We definitely try to communicate with students and ask that they put out an 'Out of Order' sign on non-working machines," Erb said. "There's nobody on our staff that goes in and runs the machines to see that they work, so we don't know if they're broken unless there's a note of some kind."

Erb said he attributes the improvement in the number of broken dryers to changes in residence hall procedures that now have a repair company coming in every weekend.

"We try to get Statewide Maintenance Company, the company that is contracted to repair the laundry facilities on campus, in here each weekend to make necessary repairs," Erb said. "Also, we do our best to make sure that the machines are as clean as possible by cleaning out the fuzzies from inside and behind the machines. This keeps the machines cooler and helps not to trip the breaker, a common cause for mechanical breakdown."

Despite the improvement in laundry facility maintenance and repair, some students still feel there are too few machines available for use.

"I am sometimes frustrated with the laundry situation because it's hard to get dryers," Cassidy said. "I usually do my laundry at random times, like afternoons and in the wee hours of the morning to avoid this problem."

Erb, however, said the number of machines on-campus is more than adequate.

"According to Statewide, which services colleges around the country, UB's ratio of machines to people is better than any school in the country," he said. "If there's a problem getting machines, it's because students are doing their laundry at the same time of day."