Ranking restrooms on the UAA campus

This article will exhibit opinions on the female restrooms on campus. Restrooms have been ranked from best to worst and graded on a scale of 1 through 10.

Some of the criteria for what makes a great restroom include the space of the stall, privacy of the stall layout (including size of stall door gaps), placement of stall amenities, condom dispensers, cleanliness and good atmosphere involving the lighting and mirrors.

The best restroom on campus may be on the first floor Natural Sciences restroom. The restroom is very nice and hits many of the indicators of what makes a restroom genuinely enjoyable. There are plenty of stalls and each  is large enough to comfortably sit. The privacy of both the restroom entrance and the individual stalls is refreshing. The lighting above the sinks is detailed and the natural-looking tile provides an aesthetic feel perfect for a natural sciences building. I rate this restroom 9/10.

The College of Engineering and Sciences restroom is interesting. The layout of stalls is very private and the walls and floor give the restroom a very clean appearance. The biggest takeaway from this restroom is the body mirror. Body mirrors are amazing to have in any bathroom, but this one is placed directly in front of the first stall when you enter. If a student looks through the crack of the stall, they can see themself in the mirror – which could make things awkward. However, the stalls are spacious and the sinks have an interface where it counts down from one minute to wash your hands and also provides the temperature of the water. This bathroom gets an 8/10.

The Allied Health Sciences building is often very clean and has an interesting red and white design. The restroom itself is fairly small but does offer enough space within each stall. This restroom may not be the most appealing, but it is decent enough to get a 7/10 ranking from me.

The restroom in Beatrice McDonald Hall is often clean. Stall door gaps are small and are not easy to see through – offering more privacy. The sink mimics the shiny floor of the main building and the walls have a minimalist, striped design of blue and yellow on a brown background. Amenities such as the toilet paper holder and the sanitary napkin disposal are fairly close to the toilet, giving less room to sit. Overall, this bathroom is relatively average. I give it a 7/10.

The Fine Arts restroom next to photography on the 3rd floor was recommended to me by a friend. The restroom has a nice layout with an accent of blue outlining tiles. The mirrors are large and the restroom is spacious. The stalls are large and there is plenty of space to sit. With the layout, the stall door gaps could be smaller. The paper towels for drying hands are attached to the stalls, which could initiate very awkward accidental eye contact. I rate this restroom 6/10.

The Professional Studies Building has a dull but spacious restroom. It is largely gray in color, but the layout and amenities are a nice touch, which include a seat opposite to the entrance. Stall gaps are almost non-existent and there is enough space in front of the sinks to avoid awkward walking interactions. This bathroom is nice, but nothing to write home about – 6/10.

Eugene F. Short Hall has one of the most colorful restrooms on campus. The red stalls are a nice touch, but the stall gaps are a little large. The gaps themselves are not the biggest problem with this restroom though – the height of the separating stall walls are. The stall walls are barely higher than the toilet, with the toilet sitting fairly low itself. Concerns of people possibly seeing you are very valid, as the stall and toilet are nearly the same height. The red doors could not distract someone from the atrocity of the layout. This bathroom gets a 6/10.

The restroom in the Social Sciences Building provides a spacious area to use while providing only two stalls – making this restroom much more private. There are often free tampons in a box on the sink counter where most restrooms on campus charge 25 cents for a single sanitary item. While not the prettiest restroom on campus, it is often clean and is one of the less disappointing restrooms. 6/10.

Sally Munserued Hall’s restroom would have been in competition for the top of the list if it were not for the overwhelming terrible smell when you first walk in. The restroom has many stalls and large mirrors. There are power outlets on the mirrors above the sink and you can sit in the stall comfortably with all of the amenities present. However, the smell was so bad that the rating had to be taken down to 5/10.

The Consortium Library bathroom does not have a large mirror. This bathroom normally looks and is a little gross with, once again, the only appealing factor being the green, inlaid wall tiles. The sinks have an odd, round design to keep you from getting too close to the sink with guiding lines below. The restroom is also tucked behind the elevators and has no accessibility button to assist in opening the door. I give it a 4/10.

The restroom near Khaladi Brothers near the Consortium Library can be off-putting as you walk into a yellow tinted restroom that always has a smell you cannot place your finger on. The green and blue tiled walls with the large body-mirror are a nice distraction from the awkwardness of the stall layout, but the odd placement of black stains on the floor cannot distract you from the small confines of the stalls. This bathroom gets 3/10.

Almost inarguably, the worst restroom on campus is in the Student Union. Walking into the restroom feels dark and gloomy as you arrive at a stall barely big enough to sit in. While sitting in the stall, your elbow nearly goes inside the sanitary product disposal can. The sinks in the restroom poorly predict where a student’s hand is – initiating an annoying game of tag – and no matter how much it is cleaned, it always has a dirty feel. In my opinion, this bathroom is the worst on campus and I give it 0/10.