I’ve had this phobia about using school bathrooms since my years in middle school. Unfortunately, as the year’s progressed and my time spent at school becomes lengthier, I now have to give into my hesitation. Although, every time I enter a bathroom here at school, I suddenly regret drinking that bottle of water.
I can’t speak on behalf of the men’s bathroom but depending on the building the women’s bathrooms are almost unusable. From my observation, the older the building the worse the upkeep is of the bathroom. For instance, Denny has about one usable stall on the first floor and even though my class is right next to it, I still go to the second floor to use the bathroom. There, you can find about two working stalls and almost as many working sinks.
Another problem with Denny’s bathrooms is the location. The boy’s bathroom is in the same area as the first floor lounge, creating quite a disturbance to students trying to do their work. I don’t know about the cleanliness inside the bathroom but I do know it could be a little more sound proof.
Then there is Fretwell, a newer building compared to Denny, which posses both positives and negatives for the everyday bathroom goer. It’s cleaner in most the sense but has a problem staying stoked up on toilet paper. This may not seem like a big deal to men, but believe me, this is a big deal for women. Then there is the problem with water all over the counter and floor.
When I sit my purse on the counter to wash my hands it ends up getting a bath as well, forcing me to dry off not only my hands but my now dripping bag. Recently, both of the paper towel dispensers stopped working, forcing me to air-dry my hands; maybe this is why the counter and floor is typically damp.
While the sinks do not seem to bother me that much, other women may beg to differ. I can recall a time when a faculty member looked at the sink and literally said, “I refuse to wash my hands in that sink,” and just walked out. I don’t think it will ever come to the point where I will refuse to wash my hands but obviously there are people so bothered with the lack of cleanliness that they are forgoing their own hygiene.
Although, I don’t mean to suggest that all the bathrooms are in desperate need of attention, for example the Student Union bathrooms. The newest building on campus has one of the most well kept bathrooms. From the counters and floors, to the numerous usable stalls, people can practically eat in there, although, I would not recommend it.
I don’t think it’s asking to much to bring a little more attention to the cleanliness of the school bathrooms in the older buildings, especially with flu season in full swing. As a student who spends nearly 12 hours at school some days, I have no choice but to use the on-campus bathrooms, and it will be even more inconvenient to have to walk to the nearest gas station. Therefore, here is my desperate plead to help the neglected school bathrooms.
21 comments
This will never be it....... ironic to award in death and ridicule in life!