While the Student Government Association’s (SGA) recent announcement that Villanova Students no longer have to pay for laundry directly may seem like a boon at first, it is actually an example of the University nickel-and-diming students out of every possible penny.

“Starting in fall 2024, students will not have to pay at the machine, but laundry cost will be embedded in the room charge,” SGA proclaimed on their Instagram page. They have marketed that student laundry is now “free” but in actuality “starting in Fall 2024, $100 will be included to students’ Room and Board Costs, allowing them to wash and dry laundry as much as they would like.”

Despite the good intentions behind the SGA initiative and the unlimited nature of the new laundry arrangement, I believe this will actually increase the cost of laundry for many students. As my fellow writer Majo has calculated – if students do their laundry once per week, they spend approximately $45 per semester, equating to $90 on the year.

From what I have seen and heard during my nearly three years spent on this campus so far, most students only have time to do their laundry once per week, if that. Ergo, lots of students will be seeing a cost increase of $10 per year to do laundry.

While an extra $10 per year out of our/our parents’ pockets is not the end of the world, I find more frustration in the principle. SGA has championed this as a big win for the student body, when in actuality, most students won’t see a noticeable cost difference. This bill also does nothing to improve the other aspects of the laundry situation, which are severely lacking.

Machines across campus are old and dysfunctional. Washers do not always start when they’re supposed to, dryers do not always dry clothes even when on the highest setting for a long time, clothes consistently come out wrinkled, and multiple machines are consistently broken. 

I am hoping the University uses the extra profit from a service which should have already been included in base room and board to upgrade to machines which are not infuriating to use.