When nature calls, it’s only fair that you can respond to the ring without putting your personal hygiene at risk. With the estimated total cost of attendance at Syracuse University at $51,960 a year, you at least want your bathrooms to be clean. And not only clean, but well-stocked, smelling fresh and equipped with complementary mints. SU’s newer buildings, including Newhouse III and the Life Sciences Complex, have some top-notch restrooms, but the state of several of the older buildings’ bathrooms makes you want to invest in a mop and clean them yourself.

 

1. Second floor in the Hall of Languages

 

Scattered toilet paper is practically common fodder, but this bathroom floor was littered with leaves mixed with the standard bathroom tissue. Yes, leaves: foliage that flew in through an open window. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with letting a little fresh air circulate in a bathroom, one would hope SU has more sophisticated methods than tossing open a window. ‘This reminds me of a high school bathroom,’ said Ashley Wisniewski, a sophomore psychology major. Better bring a rake. The crunching sound created when she stepped on the leaves to enter the stalls made her uncomfortable, and the overall grungy atmosphere made the room less than inviting. Save the leaf piles for outside.

 

2. Any bathroom in Huntington Beard Crouse Hall

 

Toilet paper, dirt and puddles, oh my! These bathrooms will make you want to throw on a couple extra pairs of socks; you will need the extra layers between your body and the floor. HBC was built in 1962, and the bathrooms look as though they have not been cleaned since. ‘It’s really creepy in there, it’s like something out of a horror film,’ said Jordan Mancuso, a sophomore bioengineering major. The layers of dirt and grime make you want to run back to your dorm and shower (which is certainly saying something, but dorm bathrooms are a whole separate issue). 

 

3. Archbold Gymnasium

 

Yes, gyms are gross — which is all the more reason why a gym’s bathrooms should be clean. Climbing on an elliptical doused with the sweat of a dozen other exhausted students makes you desire something a little less grungy when the little girl’s room beckons. But no such relief is available in the Archbold bathrooms. ‘This gym has, by far, one of the most disgusting bathrooms at Syracuse,’ said Chris Williamson, a freshman broadcast journalism major. The grime-and-dirt theme makes a triumphant comeback in this venue. Gum wrappers and water bottles join what looks like half a roll of toilet paper on the floor. Keeping your thirst quenched might be key when you’re working out, but the trip you save to the bathroom is worth the dehydration. 

 

4. The Carrier Dome

 

Though the Dome is one of the most famous landmarks on SU campus, its bathrooms lie in a less prestigious state, to put it kindly. Beer cans, empty (and not so empty) food containers and personal items, like Chapstick tubes, litter the floors. ‘The Dome bathrooms are awful. It’s scary,’ said Jason Glickman, a junior mechanical engineering major. ‘Instead of a urinal, there’s just a big tin. I definitely don’t trust those bathrooms,’ he said. Additionally, the sinks are foot-activated, and the deep basins are certainly capable of draining water. Unfortunately, water still splashes on the floor, making the bathrooms a slippery mess with increased toilet traffic during home games. Even if the Orange does win a home game, fans who use the bathroom will still leave the Dome less than satisfied. 

 

5. Any bathroom in a fraternity house 

 

Fraternities often send boys to use the bathroom al fresco at crowded weekend parties, and frankly, boys get the better end of the deal. Broken shower curtain rods, walls stained with who-knows-what, missing toilet tank lids and puddles of partially-digested beer are just some of the surprises you may encounter upon entering a fraternity bathroom. ‘No one takes care of the bathrooms in frat houses,’ said Brad Fleischman, an undeclared sophomore in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. ‘There’s urine and throw up everywhere.’ Those too intoxicated to notice the mess are the lucky ones. Partygoers are better off going green and sticking with trees and bushes.

 

ertocci@syr.edu