Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union President Eoin Hand has described the two-week closure of the on-campus laundrette as “really disappointing”, after it closed suddenly today.
In an email to students last week, the Accommodation Office said that “the College Launderette will be closed for 2 weeks from early September”.
It will now be shut for two weeks, leaving on-campus students currently on placement – who have to wash their scrubs and face masks multiple times a week – with nowhere on campus to wash their clothes.
Speaking to The University Times, Hand said that it was a “very, very poor time to do these renovations considering that projects have been in the pipeline for weeks”.
“It’s a really inconvenient time to be doing this, and it’s throwing a lot of health science students on placement off because where are they supposed to go”, he added.
The email sent to residents, he said, was “very, very vague”, and “didn’t give any insight into the situation, no detail for how long, nothing specific. So that really leaves people grappling to plan around this event then”.
“At least if you have the specific details, it’s inconvenient but you can plan around it”, Hand said.
In an email statement to The University Times, Catherine O’Mahony, a Trinity media relations officer, said: “Notification was sent to all in house residents that the laundrette was closing for a 2 week period.”
“All machines are being replaced both on campus and at Halls to ensure residents can wash their clothes at the recommended 60 degrees. This was the earliest opportunity we could arrange for the works to be done”, she added.
The laundrette has been free to use and open 24 hours a day for the duration of the summer. The new renovations will allow students to pay for the laundry service using their phone.
Medicine students on placement this year have to buy their own surgical scrubs, rather than getting them from hospital dispensers as was previously the case.
An email from College seen by The University Times told medicine students that they should purchase three pairs of scrubs, one pair ready for wear the next day and one pair in the wash.
The scrubs cost €30 per pair and a small financial assistance fund has been set up to assist students struggling with the cost, which a small number of students have already availed of.
