Kaiser Borsari Hall’s gender-neutral restrooms swept the polls for the best bathroom at Western Washington University.
Ten people responded to a question box on The Front’s Instagram story asking what their favorite bathrooms are.
Liam Pratt, a Western student, responded to the question on The Front’s Instagram story saying that his favorite is the Viking Union’s fifth-floor restroom. While there are two restrooms on the fifth floor, Pratt prefers the one by the club hub.
“It’s a good location because it’s right next to the entrance to the VU but also at the same time it’s quiet, so it’s perfect,” Pratt said.
Pratt shared that his favorite restrooms are quiet, have spacious stalls, and include free menstrual products.
A poll was later provided asking students which restrooms are clean, accessible and enjoyable. Kaiser Borsari won each poll with 50% voting it as the cleanest, 43% saying it was the most accessible and 57% of voters saying it was the most enjoyable.
The Front’s Instagram poll results rate the best bathrooms at Western on accessibility, cleanliness and enjoyability. The three restrooms are in Kaiser Borsari Hall, the Viking Union and the Communications Facility. // Graphic by Kristina Mendoza
The first-floor Communications Facility restrooms were also noted as student favorites. Both the Kaiser Borsari and VU restrooms are gender-neutral.
In addition to being gender-neutral, the Kaiser Borsari restrooms are multi-stall style, meaning they include multiple individual toilet stalls. These stalls provide floor-to-ceiling privacy.
These restrooms are a space for people of any gender to use without the pressure of a gendered space. In addition, the introduction of gender-neutral restrooms gives parents and caregivers more of an equal opportunity to accompany children in the restroom, said JoeHahn, the director of LGBTQ+ Western.
More gender-neutral restrooms, specifically multi-stall style, are trying to be created at Western.
“That’s the more economical and inclusive decision,” JoeHahn said.
Gender-neutral restrooms are rising in number and popularity across campus, yet, gendered restrooms will not be going away in the near future, JoeHahn said.
“Western has made significant progress in restroom accessibility over the years, including increasing the number of accessible and gender-inclusive restrooms,” said Mark Holsman, a project manager architect at Western. “However, some older buildings still pose challenges due to structural limitations. We continue to assess and prioritize improvements through renovation projects and student feedback.”
Trans and gender-expansive students have the difficulty of planning their route to use the restroom between classes. Many gender-neutral restrooms are in concealed locations, creating an additional step for access, JoeHahn said.
“Hopefully in the future, they will feel more comfortable to use whatever restrooms they are wanting to use on campus,” said JoeHahn.
Pratt noted that although he enjoys newer restrooms, they lack the character that some older restrooms on campus have.
“I’m thinking about the Arntzen basement bathrooms; everyone hates those,” Pratt said. “You can have a pillar in the middle of a stall, and as weird and ugly as that is, it’s a talking point.”
Allie Van Parys is a campus life reporter for The Front. They are in their second year at Western, majoring in communication studies and minoring in public relations. In their free time, you can find them playing the drums, making collages, and hanging out at the beach. You can contact them at allievanparys.thefront@gmail.com.
