Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Bathrooms, revisited


A Message from the President



Dear ESF Community,

A major priority of the College in the coming year will be to further address issues of accessibility, equity, and inclusion. This comprises several areas of concern, including increased compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), better access to all our facilities for members of our community and visitors-both here on the main campus and at our regional properties-and enhanced spaces that exemplify equality for all people. Equitable access to restrooms is one of the most important components of an elevated focus on accessibility.

Last academic year I directed our Physical Plant and Facilities unit to accelerate their activity to address the current inequitable situation in regard to the disproportionate availability of restrooms for women, and to provide more gender-inclusive options. Academic Governance, our Leadership Council, student governance groups, and others identified this very important need as well. Please see the memo below on this issue from Rex Giardine, our associate facilities program coordinator, and please recognize the changes being proposed are only our first step toward a much more comprehensive and College-wide solution.

I encourage you to share your thoughts on this proposal with Rex.


My Regards, Quentin Wheeler


TO: ESF Community
FROM: Rex Giardine, Associate Facilities Program Coordinator
DATE: August 8, 2017
RE: Campus - Toilet Room Change Initiatives

Consistent with ESF's commitment to diversity and to better accommodate our campus' demographics, several changes to existing toilet room designations are proposed. We recognize that the changes noted below do not completely address this issue either here on our main campus or at our regional properties. This is only the first phase of improvements; additional changes will follow this phase. The changes proposed, for implementation in the coming weeks, include the following:
Gateway Building
The men's and women's single-occupant toilet rooms on Floor 2 (near the elevator) will both be designated as gender-inclusive.
Illick Hall
Illick was constructed in the late 1960's with the higher number of men's toilet facilities reflective of the disproportionate number of men on campus at that time. As a measure to begin to create a balance indicative of the current ESF main campus demographic, the following changes are proposed in Illick Hall:
The existing men's rooms on Floors 1 and 4 will be designated as women's rooms. The existing women's room on Floor 4 will be designated as a single occupant, gender-inclusive restroom. This room has a lockable door

Feedback concerning the proposed changes will be accepted through August 16. It is our goal to implement accepted changes Monday, August 21, 2017.

Temporary informative signage will be installed at each restroom approximately one week ahead of the change, and maintained until occupants and visitors to the building become accustomed to these new designations.

A directive by President Wheeler, recommendations for bathroom equity outlined in a recent Academic Governance resolution, and requests made by both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as other faculty and staff members, are the major catalysts for these changes. There are additional measures in design to create ADA-compliant, single-occupant, gender-inclusive toilet rooms in both Illick Hall and Moon Library, with construction anticipated to take place during the 2017-2018 academic year.

Again, this is only one step in a larger effort that will address this important issue throughout all ESF properties.

Questions and comments regarding these initiatives should be directed to Rex Giardine in Physical Plant and Facilities at rgiardin@esf.edu or 315-470-6731.