It’s still not quite as easy as taking the laundry home and dumping it for Mom to do while you grab a snack out of the fridge, but the University is taking steps to make washing clothes — and getting refreshments — a little easier.
In response to the interest of students, parents and members of the University community, a cashless system will be implemented for laundry and vending. Those with a Hilltop Campus ID card will be able to use it to purchase snacks and beverages from selected machines on the Hilltop this fall.
Additionally, residents of Residential Life- and Greek Life-managed housing will be able to pay for laundry services by “swiping” their card.
Machines equipped with card readers will continue to accept cash.
“All members of the Hilltop Campus already have their piece of the technology in their pocket,” said Paul R. Schimmele, assistant to the director of operations. “The Hilltop ID card is ready to use, after employees first activate an account.
“Faculty and staff will activate their card through HRMS Self-Service. (Students will go through WebSTAC.) The details regarding how the account is maintained have yet to be finalized, but we anticipate that for faculty and staff, it will be managed exactly like the FAST Plan (the Faculty/Staff Meal Plan).
“In short, employees will be able to completely manage their account online.”
For students, this will be managed just like their meal plan, but it’s important that people understand that this is a separate account from their meal plan, Schimmele said.
The process for outfitting the machines with the cashless system is pretty straightforward. Most, if not all, are easily adapted to the card-reader, according to Schimmele. The current cash/coin mechanisms are replaced with cash/coin/card reader mechanisms.
The portion of the install that will require the most effort is on the part of the University, which will need to run network lines into the machines. This “hard-wiring” allows all transactions to be conducted in real time.
First up for the outfitting will be the laundry machines.
“The variables in selecting laundry rooms is a matter of determining which machines can be easily accessed while students are still on campus, what buildings will be housing people during which summer months, etc.,” Schimmele said. “The vending machines will follow the laundry machines and will be selected by the University with its partners. We expect to wire all laundry rooms and selected vending machines.
“We hope to see laundry rooms coming online throughout the summer, and we hope to have all or most of them completed by the time students arrive for fall semester. The vending machines will ‘roll out’ throughout the fall.”
The process has been in the works for just more than a year.
In February 2005, a Student Union resolution was presented to University administration requesting the University offer more features on the University ID card.
In response to this request, a committee was formed to assess the needs of the University campus community.
The committee, representing various administrative offices and Student Union, conducted a survey of undergraduate students. Laundry and vending were identified as functions that could be evaluated.
In March 2006, a recommendation was forwarded to University administration to add these features.