Editorial

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Students Seek Change

Six laundry facilities dispersed conveniently among the dorms bless Multnomah students. They can run a load at any time.

The challenge is finding quarters.

Although practically every laundromat in the United States provides an efficient coin changer, Multnomah students must revert to hunter-gatherer instincts to find laundry money.

One load requires six quarters: three to wash, three to dry. Students washing two loads per week use almost 50 quarters a month.

The college business office changes up to $5, but when students have spare time to do laundry -- evenings and weekends -- the office is closed.

Located centrally on campus, the Solid Rock Cafe provides another option. The little shop, however, only changes $2 per visit from its meager cash tray.

Generous fellow students may share quarters, but borrowing only transfers the burden to someone else. The great coin hunt ultimately leads most students off campus to a local bank or business.

Most coin changers change both $1 and $5 bills in seconds, and they operate non-stop. These machines would be faster than any off-campus resource and more accessible than the business office or cafe.

Expensive changers cost up to $5,000, but these are top-of-the-line machines that accept currencies from nickels to $20 bills. Simple quarter changers accepting $1 and $5 bills are available for under $500.

To reduce expenses and labor, the administration should purchase one coin machine and place it in a central location. The remodeled JCA is a sensible choice.

The pragmatic perk of accessible coinage is a humble request from on-campus students. Many work, study, eat, sleep, worship and often betroth within this community. Students with such intimate ties can influence how the community is run if they take the initiative.

Coin changers would fall under the jurisdiction of the campus support services office, the same office that handles the laundry service.

Donna Hurl, the office manager, said that Multnomah residents have never formally addressed the quarter quandary. But as Ms. Hurl notes, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

Let the squeaking begin.

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