Students ponder toilet questions 

By Ryan May
Daily Forty-Niner

Cal State Long Beach students struggle with the idea of sitting or hovering over the toilets in the campus restrooms.

"[I] hover," said Tracy Uagi, an undeclared sophomore. "And you've got to say something about people who don't flush because that's a major issue."

Facilities management has a team of more than 60 custodians working full-time, five days a week, to maintain the 308 restrooms dispersed around CSULB's 320-acre campus.  Additionally, they have recently added services on the weekend to keep up with the increased usage from the ongoing rise in student population.

"We're staffed to the level we're funded," said Rob Quirk, director of facilities management. "Every morning, they should find the restrooms spick-n-span."

Each restroom on campus is given a thorough cleaning once a day then "spot-cleaned" to replace products such as toilet paper and soap that have run out, Quirk said.

"A lot of people don't take the time to use the receptacles," Quirk said, referring to the constant litter of paper towels and toilet paper that seem to cover the bathroom floors.

"It's frustrating," Quirk added.  "Even if there's a small percentage of people that make a mess, that still adds up to a lot of people."

Quirk also attributed the age of the facilities, such as the Faculty Office buildings, where the restrooms are nearly 40 years old.  He said even when clean, they may not appear so.

"They are run down," said Mark McAvoy, a civil engineering senior.  "It's time to catch up to the 21st century."

A lot of the urinals do not work, water on the floor do not drain, paper towel dispensers are broken and the bathrooms smell bad, McAvoy said. He also suggested remodeling to improve the facilities to match those of the UC system.

"They seem more well-lit and newer in construction," McAvoy said of UC's facilities. "Have you ever been in the LA-2 bathrooms?  Nasty."

"I remember all of those bathrooms that are worse," Uagi said, comparing the facilities on campus to other venues. "The bathrooms in the Student Union are great, like [hotels.]"

Additionally, Uagi said the bathrooms are in good condition compared to other public locations, like a concert arena or nightclub.

"Girls restrooms are always nasty," said Emily Eroen, a graduate student in social work. "They never seem to be clean. The floors are always wet and dirty [and] the seats are always kind of dirty."

Eroen, a dorm resident, pointed to the resident's facilities as the nicest on campus.

"They do a great job here," Eroen said. "I have always appreciated how they keep things up."

"Our staff works very hard to keep up with the mess and, under the circumstances, I think they do a very good job in most situations," Quirk said.