Keep the change: Towers machines go coinless

For most Luther students, quarters and laundry go hand-in-hand. This year, however, Miller and Dieseth residents are adjusting from quarters to cards.

New card readers were installed on about 80 percent of Towers’ laundry machines after Student Senate proposed the idea last year.

In the new system, students pay five dollars for a rechargeable card that can be reloaded using a machine in the Towers’ service center. The cards can be used for the duration of a student’s time at Luther.

The new system cost just under $6,000 to install, but according to Trades Work Coordinator Steve Arneson, the change was intended to save Luther money and time.

“It’s a lot nicer system, because it got to be a huge project hauling quarters to the bank,” Arneson said. “There were a lot of quarters to deal with.”

While the new system touts convenience, obtaining a card has posed a problem for some students.

“[The cards] are really inconvenient to get,” Rachelle Zehr (‘11) said. The sole card dispensing machine is located in Brunsdale Lounge’s service center, which is open during a limited time each day.

Some Towers residents feel Luther should have given students more notification before implementing the changes.

“The cards are more convenient, but they should have publicized it more,” Ellen Lynch (‘12) said.

Other students who spent the summer hoarding quarters are disappointed that coins are no longer necessary.

“The biggest bummer is that I brought $50 to $60 worth of quarters,”
David Boehmer (‘12) said.

The new system was only installed in Miller and Dieseth as a trial run to make sure everything works smoothly. Arneson is confident that the new card system will spread through the rest of campus.

“It’s been working great this summer,” Arneson said. “Summer residents had virtually no problems with it. If it keeps working, then it would go campus-wide.”