Student Well-being Toilets in Need of a Well-being Check?

By MAYA FIELD

An ironic, and slightly metaphorical, shitshow has been brought to our attention: the women’s bathroom opposite Mauri Ora (Student Health). 

It’s a little ironic that the bathrooms are so closely situated to a place of health and wellbeing, as they are in need of some serious TLC. Parts of the ceiling tiles are coming off, others are fully gone. An entire sink is missing, with a hole in the wall left in its place. The sinks only have one working faucet each (no hot water for Student Health urinaters, I guess). There are cracks in the walls, and the paint is peeling off. In essence, it looks like the victim of a Landlord Special (slapping on a new layer of paint, creating a lovely flaking, rippling appearance). 

Good news: the university is aware of this problem. A spokesperson has confirmed that ‘Property Services has work planned for these bathrooms later this year.’

Slightly unfortunate news: the spokesperson also explained that the university prioritises ‘bathroom improvements by high traffic areas and this area receives lower traffic compared to other areas.’ This could account for the slightly less amount of urgency in regards to the bathroom’s maintenance.

Over the past 24 months, the university has received a total of six work order requests. Five of those requests were made in 2024: one for cleaning, three for plumbing faults, and one for a lighting issue. This could suggest that the cracks and holes are relatively recent. 

If you find any rooms or buildings that are not up to the standard, please write in to us, or to the University. Or both. The more complaints, the less room the university has to look away. We deserve better bathrooms. Bathrooms that are maintained.