Comments marymaide has made

Racks in the rooms vs one for the dorm

If the college is willing to install communal drying racks, it may well get more line-length for the dollar by designing a sort that fits the space. It would probably be much more difficult to convince them to fork over $20 x n dorm rooms (plus all the maintenance/replacement costs).
One of the maintenance guys might feel inspired by such a project (particularly as it would permanently enter the college folklore  as "Joe's stretcher").  

Chelsea didn't say the college would "monitor" the drying racks. And therein lies the rub, doesn't it?
Problems ranging from people who forget to take their dry sheets away until the ones on their bed are (more than) ready to be washed, to those who confuse drying lines with boutiques need to be addressed by the users, rather than by spy cameras or laundry-police.

What's needed is some sort of social organization among dorm-mates. Maybe just a sign-up list, or a sheet where the person whose laundry is hung up writes her/his name and room number.
If they can do that (and why not: students organize for all sorts of things?), they'll be well on their way to creating a much happier dorm society.  

And Chelsea, who's already gotten college approval for this project, is well on her way, it seems! (Brava!)On Umbra on communal clothes drying posted 1 year, 9 months ago 12 Responses