BVN’s bathrooms play a vital, often overlooked role in students’ daily routines. As the school year has progressed, students have become more aware of the challenges they face when using restrooms. This ranges from cleanliness to conduct, and it affects bathroom experiences overall. When asked to choose a favorite bathroom within BVN, sophomore George Hiestand explained his struggle to find a satisfactory one.
“If I were forced to say a bathroom that I liked, I would have to say the 500 Hall Boys bathroom because it’s not used much, but in general, I don’t like any of them,” Hiestand said.
Opinions among students have varied regarding the best and worst restrooms. Junior Elan Kishinevsky identifies the 300 boys’ bathroom as the best.
“It’s the cleanest,” Kishinevsky said. “ It has a big mirror, the urinals are clean and the sinks work. However, I think that the 500-bathroom option is another good option, I don’t see a lot of people go into that one.”
While there are suitable options, students often are aware of how the location of a bathroom affects their usage.
“I avoid pretty much every single one out of the commons,” Hiestand said. “The only other one I might go to is the boy’s locker room because the ones near the commons are very gross and smell bad, and there have been incidents in them.”
Many issues have been identified within the spaces due to bathroom functions repurposed by student body members.
“People go to the bathroom for activities they do not want others to see,” Kishinevsky said. “I found a crab in the 500 bathroom once. That’s very unhygienic. ”
The discovery of a crab, whose origin is unknown, was a massive topic of discussion throughout the student body. Senior Ash Wallace was also informed of the incident.
“Last year, in the 500 boys bathroom, somebody put a crab in the toilet, which was crazy to hear about,” Wallace said. “Why would someone do that?”
Graffiti has been another recurring problem within the facilities, with students taking to the walls to express themselves.
“I have seen many inappropriate things written on the walls, such as male body parts, unkind words and slurs written on the walls,” Hiestand said.
However, senior Simon Chacey believes bathrooms should emphasize student expression and creativity over cleanliness.
“Let us have our art,” Chacey said. “I’d like them to stop covering up the walls and honestly give us Sharpies. It’s not like they’re damaging any property; no one’s gonna do a news report in the bathroom. Let them draw on the walls. It looks cool.”
