Bowen will the first residence hall on campus to feature unisex bathrooms that are not connected to a suite. The bathrooms will be single-user restrooms complete with a shower and a sink, and will be located on the odd floors.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction, to allow a safe space for individuals to use the bathroom in the dorms that need it,” President of PRIDE,Paige Allen said.
The unisex bathrooms will be adjacent to the newly renovated communal bathrooms. Right now, the space being converted is a storage closet that will be split in half to allow for the gender-neutral space. The two public restrooms on the main floor of Bowen will also be gender neutral.
“They are available for anyone who wants to use them for some additional privacy,” said Vice President and Dean of Students Jeff Carstens.
Along with providing a separate full bathroom on the odd floors, all of Bowen’s common shared bathrooms will provide added privacy by having doors that go three to four inches from both the floor and ceiling on all stalls and showers.
“From here forward any residence hall that we renovate we would try to provide that additional level of privacy,” Carstens said.
Information about the unisex restrooms will be added to housing application materials so students can be aware of this option when applying for housing. WSC will also be installing unisex bathrooms around campus to be ready for the fall, including the one on the second floor in the Kanter Student Center.
“It’s exciting to see something like this happen after we petitioned for a bathroom in the student center a year ago,” Allen said.