The Best and Worst Bathrooms at the University of Lethbridge

Written by Andres Salazar

When mother nature calls, you have no choice but to listen and answer her demands. We’ve all been there, and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. When you gotta go, you gotta go; it’s as simple as that. Going into a public washroom may not always be the most pleasant experience, but it’s something we all must do. Some washrooms might not be anything special, while others have been the source of moments of anxiety

The University of Lethbridge is known for a couple of things: a pretty solid education program, serving pink chicken at Urban Market, and having buildings that were built with different intentions, at different times. There’s actually an incredible amount of diversity within the university’s architecture, with the science building being the image of cleanliness and professionalism, and the fine arts building having classrooms and furniture that look about as old as the university itself. The washrooms at the university also show a good amount of diversity in that sense. As part of the Meliorist’s top-tier investigative journalism, we concluded that students need to know what’s really important: what bathrooms you can trust when nature calls. Here is all you need to know about the best and worst washrooms that the university has to offer.

The Science Building

The science building is where it’s at. These will give you the cleanest, and most hygiene-friendly washroom experience at the university. Because the building is so new, there isn’t much to critique. Everything seems to be very well kept, with the floors and mirrors being nearly spotless. The mirrors in the science building washrooms are also very large, giving lots of opportunities for you to carefully inspect the cleanliness of your hands. Nearly all of the washrooms are also equipped with the latest Dyson drying machines, providing you with the optimal hand-drying experience. The sinks and soap dispensers are also very well calibrated, min-imizing the painful moments where you have to awkwardly shake your hand back and forth trying to get your hands clean. All of this creates a pleasant and immersive wash-room journey. However, nothing in this world is perfect, and the science building’s washrooms are no exception to this.

While they are large and roomy, this seems to be the building at the university with the least number of washrooms. While many have argued that this is due to the building’s size, it is imperative for students to have access to a lavatory station at a moment’s notice.

The UHall/Fine Arts Building

Unfortunately, these are the washrooms that leave the most to be desired. There is, however, credit to be given. Many of the washrooms in the UHall/Fine Arts building are well-maintained and seem clean, despite their age. Many of them also sport classic paper towel dispensers. These washrooms do seem outdated, with them being dimly lit, making for an uncomfortable experience. The biggest issue, however, comes from the fact that many of the sinks, particularly on the sixth floor of UHall, still use the basic rotation-based faucet levers. This unfortunately creates the opportunity for bacteria to build up on the faucet levers that are used by others. These sinks leave you no choice but to use your hands to turn the water on and off, even after you have completed your hand-washing protocol. Even worse, because they rotate to turn the water on and off, you can’t even use your elbow to cleanly use the faucet. In this post-COVID-19 era, many would assume the new motion-sensor faucets would be installed universally, though this does not seem to be the reality. While it is incredible for them to be in their condition, despite their age, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait until reaching the next section of the universi-ty with better washrooms.

The SU/PE Building

There isn’t much to say here. These washrooms are like the Hyundai of the lavatory industry, meaning that they are decently reliable, while never being amazing. The washrooms are generally kept decently clean, though it never seems to be an excellent choice either, because of their proximity to the biggest and busiest classrooms at the university. Their biggest strength lies in how roomy and big they are. You never really have to wait for people to clear out because there’s always a spot available for you. Though, if I’m being honest, if you have the option of choosing a different washroom over the ones in the PE/SU portion of the campus, you’d be better off going somewhere else. It’s about as simple as that.

The Library

This is where things become more nuanced. The library is the second home of many students furiously prepping for exams or crafting those long essays. People are commonly found reading, writing, eating, and sleeping in the library. As such, it would be expected that students would also have access to top-of-the-line bathroom technology. The good thing is that the bathrooms are in good supply, with them being easily located throughout the library’s many floors. Most of these stations are equipped with the standard issue two-faucet sink designs, with steady streams of well-maintained water pressure to keep those hands squeaky clean. The biggest thing to note, however, relates to how to dry off those paws. While the washrooms are equipped with quality hand drying contraptions, some of the washrooms have been fitted with new mechanically powered paper towel distributing machines. A welcome decision, staying true to the library’s philosophy of a quiet space for studying, instead of those loud air dryers. With that being said, many of these hand towel dispensers are mounted on tripod-style fixtures, instead of the traditional wall mount, as seen with the washrooms in the curriculum lab. While the option between the two drying tools is good, having the paper towel dispensers right by the door makes it slightly cumbersome to walk into the washroom. Efficiency in your movement and strategy in your bathroom journey is critical, and we demand that the paper towels be better placed to ensure the best student library experience.

Students spend very long and very tiring days at the university. We spend all day worrying about assignments and trying to have enough energy to make it through each lecture. Being a student isn’t always an easy task, and nothing makes the day as bad as going into a filthy washroom after already struggling through an exam. Though, as bad as it sounds, it seems like almost every student has felt this more than once. Going into a clean, wellmaintained bathroom is not only good for your physical health but also for your attitude on the day. All of this is why it’s important to find a goodquality restroom and to treat it like a second home base. When mother nature calls, you don’t really have a choice but to listen to her commands. But, you can prepare beforehand by knowing which are the best and worst restrooms the uni-versity has to offer.

Written by Daly Unger

The 2023 University of Lethbridge Students’ Union election closed on March 10th, and the results were announced to the student body the evening of that same day. All of the available positions were filled and those candidates who were successful in their campaigns began the work of assuming their respective offices. All fourteen of the vacant ULSU positions were filled and those elected have already begun began the work of assuming their respective roles. The results of the election and the referendum questions have been made available on the ULSU website. Maleeka Thomas secured the presidential position with a resounding 74% of the vote. Although taking a step back and examin-ing the elections results, it is hard to overlook the otherwise apathetic turnout that the 2023 election saw. Of the 6871 eligible student voters, only 1274 actually took the time to cast a ballot. That means that the individuals representing the entire undergraduate body were chosen by only 18.5% of students. The general disinterest of students toward the ULSU does not stop there. Of the ten positions to fill in the ULSU General Assembly and Executive Council, the “candidate” that took 18.2% of the cumulative vote was the option to pick “none.” Meaning that over 18% of students who actually took time to participate in the election decided to withhold a vote for available candidates in favour of a neutral ballot.

In addition to the low turnout and general apa-thy that the undergraduate student body showed towards Students’ Union positions, the referendum portion of the ballot saw equally low turnout and support. The referendum questions were related to campus levy groups and their future on cam-pus; important questions that influence how these organizations can continue to provide support for students all saw equally lacking attention. Of the five referendum questions, only one passed, and they all maintained 18.5% voter turnout.

For the University campus, March is always characterized by campaign posters at every corner and the sudden emergence of related social media pages.

Yet, the voter turnout remains low. However, 18.5% turnout is comparatively high compared to the last three ULSU elections which, perhaps partly due to COVID and the Faculty Association strike, saw turnout as low as 12%. Low voter turnout is not a new trend on the U of L campus, but in fact part of our institution’s legacy. If you lookthrough fifty years of The Meliorist archives, you will find an article similar to this one published shortly after almost every ULSU election. Articles such as, “Politics of Irrelevance” (The Meliorist, 1971), “Student Apathy Worse” (1972), and “Students Are Only Apathetic Because They Feel Powerless” (1973). These articles are as relevant to the campus today as they were when published five decades ago. They contain comments on voter apathy, a look at the legitimacy of a Students’ Union elected by less than a quarter of the schools population, and questioning what the SU will do differently.

Voting in the 2023 election took digitalform. An email was sent to all students containing apersonalized link which allowed them to cast their ballot. The entire activity could take a student as little as two minutes. However, the figure of 18.5% seems to say that two minutes is still too much. By the time March arrives the aforementioned marketingmakes itsdebut, the atmosphere on campus is opposite of a passionate and involved student body. The University of Lethbridge suffers from low student involvement on its best day. Amidst paper deadlines, long library hours, and final exams in the latter half of the spring semester, allocating just two minutes to cast a vote in an election that one may not already be interested in can seem like an overwhelming burden. The trend of low voter turnout in ULSU elections is long-standing, yet the polling format persists.

References

2023 Official Election Results (2023, March 10) ULSU https://elections.ulsu.ca/2023-official-election-results

Politics of Irrelevance. (1971, February). The Meliorist. Student Apathy Worse. (1972). The Meliorist. Students Are Only Apathetic Because They Feel Powerless. (1973). The Meliorist.

As voter turnout fails to represent even a quarter of the student population, I am left wondering what the future of the Students’ Union will look like, if any change is on the horizon for the election structure, and how long it will be before even the stalwart 18.5% stop taking the time to care.