A Washroom Travesty - The GloBELL ROAR

If I may have the attention of the male readers, there is a pressing concern that I feel the need to address. With the new school year in full swing, it will become more civilized if I have all the gentlemen pay attention accordingly. With each new school year, I have taken careful note of the same atrocities committed to our washroom facilities month after month after month. The dreaded “Out of Order” sign, hated by all unfortunate enough to encounter one, hangs ominously on any given washroom facility. It is an urgent request that such malicious vandalism be ceased with all due haste.

Granted, I will admit, this editorial resulted from nothing more than a developed pet peeve of mine. Nonetheless, it is a situation relevant to all my loving brothers from other mothers, who require our precious inner sanctums to function through the day. My disdain is evidently shared in much of the student body. It is in everyone’s best interests to cooperate on this matter (except the ladies in the audience. They may continue to have perfect and normal lives in their supposed wonderfully clean bathrooms). I will outline a few reasons as to why we should make a genuine effort to keep our washrooms functional.

The washrooms are sparsely dispersed all around the school. In a public count, two standardized washroom facilities are confined to each major building extension: in the Science and Social Sciences wings, in the English and Math wings, in the Construction and Arts wing, and some facilities in the change rooms. This does not include the facilities located in the main foyer. Because of vandalism, it is, sadly, not uncommon to find a facility out of order, forcing a (usually male) student to find alternate facilities (like in the park). While this can be averted in the building extensions boasting second floors, the student will still be forced to walk a longer distance to access facilities. In one particularly unfortunate case in the previous year, both of the facilities located in the Science and Social Sciences wings were closed, forcing students all the way out to the foyer or beyond to access facilities. Such lengthy disruptions of valuable class time should raise a red flag to the staff as to how long it takes for students to navigate the building for a bathroom.

I would argue that this is a significant reason to take a stronger stance against vandalism, being as it is a massive time-waster for both the students and their teachers, but that, in itself, is not the only cost. Although financial costs may vary due to the nature of the vandalism, like graffiti, it may take as long as two hours, roughly, to clean up a closed bathroom facility and have it reopened. Bear in mind this is a significant amount of wasted time, managing the facilities in light of vandalism. Imposing such costs is particularly disrespectful not only to fellow peers, but the custodial staff as well.

I urge the student body to maintain these facilities with the respect and dignity they expect to receive from others. Kindly clean up after yourselves, and do not inflict unnecessary, wasteful damage on the facilities. Taking such measures will ensure that everyone will have a happier, cleaner school year. Much as this message is incessant and benign, vandalism in restroom facilities makes dayto- day routine unnecessarily bothersome, and it reflects badly on our student body as a whole. By writing this periodical, I hope that we avert some of our nasty habits. It would make this senior a happier soul.