The Office of Residential Life announced that laundry will remain free for the “foreseeable future” — in addition to plans to renovate Graduate Center C — in a March 20 email from Senior Associate Dean and Senior Director of Residential Life Brenda Ice.
ResLife initially halted laundry charges to allow for the installation and testing of new kiosks connecting to machines that were installed last fall, The Herald previously reported. The department then extended the pause on charges into the spring 2023 semester and 2023-24 academic year.
Monday’s update offered no timeline for putting a price back on washing and drying clothes — and additionally announced the introduction of a mobile application that will allow students to activate laundry machines without ID cards and track machine availability from their phones.
“I think it’s a great step that the University took,” said Sarah Crawford ’26. “They certainly have the … money for it, and it makes services accessible to more students.”
Ice did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The email also announced plans to renovate Grad Center C this summer, which will include a redesign of the building’s common area kitchens to create more open space for community activity, as well as new flooring, fixtures and doors for en-suite bathrooms. The other Grad Center towers are slated to receive similar updates in the “next few” years, Ice wrote.
Coming two days before the University’s general housing selection application opens on March 22, the announcement detailed the three thematic communities in the new Brook Street Residence Halls set to open next fall — civic engagement, interfaith and sustainability. The housing selection process will take place from April 11-12.
Ice also wrote that the previously announced allergy-friendly kitchen in the Sharpe Refectory will be located on the building’s main level. The allergy-friendly kitchen, along with a new kosher kitchen and expanded halal station, will all be open for the beginning of the fall 2023 semester, according to the email.
“We hope that you are as excited as we are about these enhancements, which are a direct result of your feedback about ways the University can enhance your experience and strengthen your connection to the Brown community,” Ice wrote in the email.
