Plights of the Disappearing Men’s Restrooms
Picture this: Your bladder is full and you are madly running around in search of the men’s room. You stumble into a hallway and find ten restrooms—six that are co-ed and four that are for girls only. Which one would you use? Well, I’d hope that you searched until you found of one the last remaining men’s restrooms, because you are obviously attending Wabash. (Think in metaphors here…)
Without having to acknowledge it, I am sure you are aware of the disappearing men’s room. Back in 1832 when our restroom was still new, all-men’s bathrooms were commonplace. However, through the course of time, a changing society coupled with the absence of women’s restrooms changed this once average notion. Across the nation many men’s rooms were converted for female use alongside the completion of new women’s restrooms. For those who are wondering let me clarify: This is/was not a bad thing. Women were in dire need of restrooms and those built helped to bridge the gap. But now, many years after this gap has been filled, what has happened to the men’s rooms? Why are there so few left?
I will be honest and admit that I cannot fully answer that question. We could debate the subject all day, but debating about the past will not change it. In the meantime we can discuss a few difficulties of the remaining men’s rooms—ours included, and then touch on what truly sets us apart from other restrooms.
The first plight lies in the inescapably clichéd questions of which all students must answer.
“What is it like using the restroom without women? Don’t you miss them? How do you stand only having… men in your restroom? Doesn’t using an all-male bathroom make you sexist?”
I have to wonder if my responses, like other students, are as clichéd as the questions themselves.
“Using the bathroom without women feels perfectly normal. Yes, I miss them, but you don’t even notice it. And no, *sigh* using an all-male bathroom does not make me sexist.”
The next plight goes with the last: People on the outside who cannot get past the sign at the door. It’s not like our signs declare , “WABASH: NO GIRLS ALLOWED!” Yes, it is frustrating when people won’t look past the door sign, but what can we do about it? If those who only look at the door sign will not make the attempt to get past the restroom’s (obvious) first impressions, then what good will it do to try and change their minds? But for those that will listen, how can we change theirs? The answer lies in telling them what truly sets us apart from other restrooms.
The ‘Student Says’ portion of the newest Princeton Review states this quite effectively: Wabash ranks third for both ‘Most Accessible Professors’ and ‘Best Athletic Facilities’, as well as fourth for ‘Best Classroom Experience’ and eleventh for ‘School Runs Like Butter’. These rankings look past the door signs to the wonderful community that lies inside. This—the community—is what truly sets us apart. Think about it: Only two other schools in the nation have better accessible professors. Two other schools! Our community—not our sign—truly set us apart.
Critics can say what they want, but Wabash ranks highly without being co-ed. Adding women for the sole purpose of making us look better on paper comes at the expense of the nine-hundred men who chose this school as is and the integrity of a liberal arts college…for men. Public talks of going co-ed may not be alive, but private discussions never die. It is my hope that those here at the college come not with the aspirations to change its all male nature, but to embrace, celebrate, and promote it.
Fellow Wallys, the fact that our restroom is of a ‘dying breed’ does not entitle us to roll over and die (conform) as well. As time goes on the pressure to conform will only increase—the grass on the other side growing greener by the year. But as the last of this breed, we are in essence its defenders. And as its defenders, it is our duty to stand strong in the face of adversity and prove to them: Wabash. Always. Fights!
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