Residence hall bathrooms sabotaged by poor hygiene habits

I do not envy those who clean the bathrooms.

Particularly the men’s first-floor bathroom in Solberg Hall.

I feel a sense of disbelief when I enter the bathroom. Quickly, that feeling turns to disappointment.

There is always a new adventure in our humble bathroom. Perhaps you will find a stack of 15 cups from the dining hall that someone left as a prize or that none of the five toilets have been flushed from the last person’s visit.

I want to be very clear that I do not mean to berate the staff that keeps this campus clean. I only want to bring to light that maybe we, the students, can strive to be better.

I’ll admit that our bathroom lacks some amenities, particularly in the showers. However, I must wonder why the offenders feel they want to live in such an environment.

From my personal bathroom experience, I find it best to adopt the Boy Scout’s motto, “Leave no trace.”

I understand that there may be some toothpaste left on the side of the sink and I can stand the fact that hair will be stuck in the shower drain.

However, when you play sand volleyball, I only ask that you take an extra minute to wash your “body-sand” down the drain.

Possibly the most discouraging part is when I finally exit the bathroom after dodging the strange traces my dorm mates have left behind, I see that someone has left trash in the water fountain, usually some type of old food.

My next critique on the bathrooms does not focus on the state the facilities are in but rather a task that too many individuals have ignored.

Wash your hands. It is a simple task that takes no more than 15 seconds.

I cringe when I only think of how many remote controls, bowls of chips and girlfriends’ hands have been tainted by these individuals’ bathroom grime. Not only have they made the bathroom a mess, but they have also made themselves and the people around them unclean. Every time I see someone walk straight from the urinal to the exit door, I wonder how they have made it this far without contracting a bad case of dysentery.

I have seen the troubling state we have placed our bathrooms in, and I think we can strive for better at Augustana. The staff deserves better and we deserve better.

Though I have had my spirits held down by the weight of the toilet paper left on the floor, I still have hope that we can change. And I will leave you with my last word of bathroom advice, “Leave no trace.”