BUZZ
Turning a whole dormitory’s bathrooms into “gender neutral” areas turned out to be unpopular at Michigan State University.
The public institution recently reverted several of the bathrooms in Campbell Hall back to single-sex after receiving pushback on a student survey and a formal complaint, The Midwesterner reports.
A few of the bathrooms, which include showers as well as toilets, are still unisex, according to the report. Photos show separate stalls for the showers and toilets, but the other areas are common.
The university created the unisex bathrooms as part of a $37 million renovation project for the dorm, which reopened in August. Campbell Hall houses about 250 students, most of them freshmen honors students, according to the report.
“There were a few students who, this is new, and they weren’t as comfortable as we’d like them to be,” university spokesperson Kat Cooper told the Lansing State Journal. “But some students really liked the configuration. What we did is … we strove to make sure we had options for people.”
As the Times Union reports, some parents were not aware of the unisex bathrooms either, “leading at least one student to seek alternative bathing facilities, according to a letter written by the parent of the student.”
After conducting a survey of the residents, Cooper said the university decided to change some of the 20 bathrooms to single-sex. Those changes took place over fall break, she said.
In an email to students, the university stated that the “bathrooms will be configured as much as possible to the gender make-up of the community” on each floor of the dorm, according to The Midwesterner.
“We wanted to ensure that no room moves were required as part of these changes,” the email stated. “The updates are intended to offer more choice and help residents feel more comfortable in their daily routines.”
Despite the change, several students told the newspaper that some of the new signs designating the bathrooms as single-sex have been ripped down, and some residents continue to use whichever bathroom they choose.
