By Malavika Libish
The Oxford Learners dictionary defines the word laundry as “the process or the job of washing clothes, sheets, etc.” As of late December 2023, several washing machines (as well as dryers) at the AUC dorms located on Carolina MacGillavrylaan have not been working, to the extent that students have begun to question whether the machines were also taking some days off during the Christmas break.
The problem has persisted at random intervals, first starting around the end of December. Residents reported that different washing machines at different locations were damaged throughout this period. Moreover, several students had to return home with wet clothes because the one working dryer was always occupied. In fact, the lack of completion of laundry on Carolina MacGillavrylaan has led many to believe that the Oxford University Press were mistaken in their definition of the word.
Louise Gibbs, a member of DUWO’s Maintenance Team, has revealed that DUWO has been playing a very long-drawn-out prank on its residents. According to Gibbs, the team at DUWO had wanted to celebrate April Fools’ for a very long time and found the perfect opportunity during the winter break. The DUWO Team believed it would be a fun experience to watch the nearly 900 residents of the building complex fighting for use of the few remaining washing machines, and even fewer dryers.
“We started this charade in December in order to ensure that none of the students would catch wind of our plan,” says Edward Strang, the head of DUWO’s Maintenance Team. “I first came down here and shut down the machines in the middle building,” says Strang, when asked about how it all started. He continues, “After that, some of my colleagues would come down and shut down the dryers and other washing machines too. We would wait for a couple of weeks before starting the machines back up, just so the students would enjoy the experience.”
The DUWO Team made the decision to reveal their prank to the students, keeping the fast- approaching summer holidays in mind. When the students were informed of this prank, most were relieved.
“I’m just glad it was all just a prank. I had to start wearing my ski clothes because I didn’t have any clean clothes left,” says Arya Franson, a first-year student, continuing: “We all found it a little strange that different machines would stop working and nothing would be done about it for days or weeks. But now all of this makes sense.”
The students are currently enjoying the use of the washing machines and dryers in the dorms with no complaints, hoping that no more pranks of a similar nature await them in the future.
The Herring 