Restrooms say a lot about an institution, but at CSU East Bay the message portrayed by the mayority of bathrooms tends to be negative.

It is becoming too common to see toilet paper and seat covers on the floor, urine-soaked toilets and even holes in some of the bathroom stalls in the restrooms.
This gives the appearance that our restrooms are rarely maintained. This needs to change.

CSUEB Facilities Management and students need to find better ways to make sure bathrooms on campus are constantly being kept in good condition.

According to the Custodial Services Manager Alvaro DeSousa, the restrooms on the Hayward campus get a full service cleaning Monday through Friday.

Concurrently, the Maintenance Manager, David Miller, said the custodial staff works eight hours per day with a maintenance budget of roughly $1.3 million per year.

Despite this, some students still say the restrooms are unacceptable.

According to CSUEB student Lando Johnson, the current conditions of the restrooms are a major problem. “All these bathrooms are nasty, some people pee on the floor and they just leave it there, and the bathrooms always have a bad smell,” said Johnson.

The restrooms are so bad that some students simply choose to not use the ones on campus.

Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Director of Legislative Affairs Courtney Symonds commented, “The restrooms are so nasty that I don’t even want to use them, unless I really have to.”

It is unacceptable that students don’t even feel comfortable enough to use the restrooms on campus. Something needs to be done so students feel comfortable with the restrooms on campus.

Not only are the conditions of the restrooms forcing some students to avoid using them, but they can also give the university a stinky reputation.

The message being sent by a university with dried urine on the toilets, toilet paper on the floor and holes in the stalls obviously isn’t a good one.

Facilities Management should make sure that not only are the restrooms being cleaned but that certain maintenance issues such as holes in some of the stalls are being repaired. Yet, students on campus also have a responsibility.

Students, for example, need to stop making such a mess in the restrooms. We often don’t realize that when we decide to write on the walls or leave toilet paper on the floor that it not only affects our fellow students, but also the maintenance staff.

There are currently more than 15 buildings on campus, which custodians have to clean daily. However, with eight-hour workdays, there does not seem to be nearly enough time to have to constantly clean the same restrooms over and over again.

“If everyone does their part and cleans up after themselves, then we can help the campus together,” said DeSousa.

This part of the solution is simple, and while it may seem like common sense to some, to others it isn’t.

It would also be a good idea to put signs in the restrooms telling people to pick up after themselves. Facilities Management should also leave a number in the restrooms asking students to call when they feel like the restrooms are in need of service.

This won’t necessarily mean students will call, but it will at least leave the option to call open to students.

If the current conditions continue, the image portrayed to the public about the university will be one that says that the students don’t care.

The restrooms need to be cleaned more regularly and students need to help keep the restrooms clean, so that everyone can feel comfortable.