The debate wages on: Which are the best and worst bathrooms on campus?
By Will Lyons Staff Writer lyons14@up.edu
There are few pleasures in life better than taking some time after a long day filled with the stress of tests, homework and essays, striding to the toilet and making yourself comfortable on the bowl to do your business. Living on campus, I have a "home base" stall, the 1A bathroom in Villa. But between classes, visiting friends and general campus life, I've taken a pit stop in just about every building on campus. The debate about which dorm or campus building has the best or worst bathroom is a war of words that has raged since the school began in 1901. Taking into account many qualities (including modernity, comfort, amount of broken fixtures and general sketchyness) my associate Lesley Dawson and I have arrived at a ranking of the best and worst bathrooms on campus. BEST 1. The Commons One of the best bathrooms is easily The Bauccio Commons, the newest building on campus. From the new age, non-slick floors, to the artfully arranged garbage receptacles and sweet smelling urinal cakes, The Commons is the most relaxing place to use the John. The low lighting in The Commons' bathroom (ecologically friendly) also contributes to the comfortable atmosphere. 2. Franz Hall Another place that I enjoy is Franz Hall. Maybe it's fond memories of wasting class time making waste that makes Franz a delightful facility or maybe it's the marble sinks and consistently hot water for hand washing, but Franz has always been a solid bathroom to visit. 3. Christie Hall In terms of aesthetics, Christie Hall's bathrooms are a welcome change of pace. The blue-tiled interior gives the illusion of being undersea while most of the fixtures remain unbroken and highly functional. WORST 1. The Pilot House The most difficult call when deciding on our top five worst bathrooms was whether or not Buckley Center or The Pilot House's bathrooms are the worst. I stand by our decision that the Pilot House is the worst bathroom on campus. Since it's the only building on campus that's open 24 hours to all students, the Pilot House most likely receives the grungiest activity. 2. Buckley Center Buckley Center is a close second however. A lot of the sinks have giant chunks taken out of them, like someone set off a small bottle rocket next to the soap dispenser. Some of the toilet seat lids have cracks and are only half on, and the stalls are small and cramped as well. Avoid BC for your own mental health, especially the auditorium bathrooms. 3. Kenna Hall A pick that may surprise many of you is Kenna Hall as the 3rd worst bathroom on campus. The toilets clog, the sink leaks all over the place and the stalls are cramped. In addition, the urinals look like some sort of bizarre abstract art from the 1910s (google search Marcel Duchamp if you want a visual). 4. St. Mary's St. Mary's is another abysmal bathroom. Scummy would be a way to describe them and they were also wet in all the wrong places if you get my drift. Let's just say St. Mary's is the only place where the "safe-t-guards" always need replacing. 5. The Library Lastly, I'd like to touch on the Library. The tile under the urinal in the upstairs men's room has been eroded by years of horrid aim and I'm deeply concerned about it starting to drip through the floor to the DVD collection below. Own your habitat My general bathroom advice in light of these often dark restroom experiences is to truly own your home stall whether you live in Kenna, Christie or as some students seem to, St. Mary's. We're creatures of habit. Own your habitat.
