Three students took a former class project all the way to Vice Provost for Diversity and African-American Affairs Jose Picart yesterday with hopes eventually to get the senior administration to enact their gender-neutral bathroom proposal.
The proposal that Madeline Goss, a senior in computer science and a transgender student, Karen Achtyl, a junior in physics, and Ashley Winfree, a senior in biomedical engineering, submitted to Picart yesterday recommends that all new buildings on campus have “at least one single use, unisex, lockable restroom” and suggests existing restrooms be renovated to fit this description whenever possible. According to Goss, the bathrooms would benefit students in a variety of ways.
“[This] includes everybody on campus who needs something like that — like single mothers, people with disabilities, for changing clothes,” Goss said.
Goss, Achtyl and Winfree also included a suggestion for funding the bathrooms in the proposal: new bathrooms would be paid for with the funds allocated for new construction, whereas renovations would come out of the building funds.
Winfree said since most of the opposition toward the proposed LGBT center was due to the possible use of student fees, her group does not foresee very much opposition based on similar reasoning since the restrooms will not come out students’ pockets.
“Our proposal is fairly lengthy but our solution is very easy and, in my eyes, it doesn’t cost anything. It’s just a simple solution, and it’s not the one single answer to create a safe atmosphere but it’s a good first step and shows that we care,” she said.
Picart said now that he has read the proposal it will be presented to the University advisory committee, which is made up of various representatives from across campus. This committee will review the proposal and comment on it. Finally, the report will be forwarded to senior administration.
“[It was an] excellent report,” Picard said. “It merits and deserves serious consideration from the administration.”
The three students began working on the proposal during a technical communication class they took together during the first summer session with professor Janet Hudson, according to Goss.
Goss said the project assignment was to choose something on campus that the group would like to change and create a report on the proposal.
“The three of us just went to work,” Goss said. “We spent a lot of time this summer after the class was well done with actually going back and revising the report.”
Winfree said before the group project she hadn’t really given much thought to the importance of unisex bathrooms around campus. She said working with Goss on the project helped open her eyes to the need for such facilities, especially at universities.
“You quickly learn that there really is this atmosphere of hatred around this community,” she said. “[This proposal] is a good step to creating a safe atmosphere.”
The proposal is definitely something that needs to be looked into and taken seriously, according to Picart.
“I mean, if we are going to be inclusive and welcoming to everybody, that includes the transgender community and other people who have a need to have access to a single bathroom,” he said.
