STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) – Some Oklahoma State University students have expressed frustrations over the university’s laundry services. The students said most of the washers and dryers inside the facility on West McElroy have not been working since March.
The machines serve around 600 students in six different student neighborhoods.
More than half of the machines have had a sign taped to the front for six months that has read, “We know what the problem is but we don’t know the cause.”
“It’s been really difficult,” said Bella Farrow, an undergrad student. “A lot of the people who use the laundry services are graduate students, or they have families, and they have children.”
The service is provided year-round to students as part of their rent or fees. Farrow said it was an amenity that she was paying for but could hardly use.
“You can’t really do laundry unless you go at three in the morning or at odd hours,” said Farrow.
Several OSU students have signed an online petition in an effort to spark a solution to the problem.
News 4 asked OSU what was causing the problem.
“This has been an ongoing investigation since the Spring. OSU Housing and Residential Life has been working with distributors who were then contacting the manufacturers in an effort to isolate and diagnose the issue. OSU Facilities Management has been called in to investigate if the issue could be system-related, such as a plumbing or electrical issue in the building,” said a spokesperson with OSU.
OSU told KFOR several additional washers were back online Monday.
“10 washers and 34 dryers have been available for residents to use in this facility while the issues were being investigated. Several additional washers are back online today. Unlike coin-operated laundries, there is no charge for residents to use OSU laundry facilities. It’s not part of tuition; it’s a benefit included in their rent,” said a spokesperson with OSU.
While we were there, most of the machines were still not working.
OSU said 13 washers have been ordered, and another 12 more were set to be ordered soon.
News 4 was not given a timeline for when the problem would be fixed. Farrow said she hoped it didn’t take another six months.
“I was in my Weezer shirt for like three days in a row the other day,” said Farrow. “I can’t do this.”
