BATHROOMS | Costs to repair damages ‘worst it’s ever been’

According to a Bear Witness survey poll of 214 readers, 52% say they have been impacted by the lack of personal hygiene products.

However, menstrual products are continuously restocked nightly according to state law. If there is a report that they are empty during the day, they would be immediately restocked by custodians.

“The only issue we have been having is since they are free and there is no way to monitor them, sometimes they are empty three or four times a day,” said plant manager Venero Ramos

He suspects that student vandalism is behind the disappearance of the menstrual products and said that the school, with 2,020 students, is the largest in the district and has similar staffing levels as the smallest.

With the additional eight bathrooms from the new buildings, the supervision staff is further spread thin.

“More bathrooms make it harder for faculty to supervise since we can’t go in them directly,” Ramos said. “We closed some off in the beginning of the year, but that wasn’t enough for the amount of students we have now.”

Since the start of the school year through Jan. 25, Ramos said his staff has spent nearly $3,500 recovering or fixing bathroom products due to vandalism, along with having to remove bathroom graffiti 3 to 5 times daily and unclogging 35 to 40 toilets.

Since Ramos started eight years ago, student misbehavior “is the worst” he’s seen.

With funds running out, Ramos’ goal this semester is to cut back on bathroom supplies such as soap dispensers and toilet covers.

“It’s hard balancing everything out, but we just have to make do,” he said.

Low bathroom supplies and student misbehavior have been a nuisance for senior Diana Fine, who said that despite access to menstrual products at places such as the Wellness Center, it’s inconvenient when they’re not available in the bathroom.

“There have been so many instances where I had to call or text my friends in class to bring me some kind of supplies, which takes away from my learning time and theirs,” Fine said. “I’m upset that it takes me 15 minutes to pee because there are kids climbing the stalls, hotboxing the bathroom or I can’t get to a feminine hygiene product.”

Two gender-neutral bathrooms were also constructed in the past year, but due to student behavior within them, one had to move to a more visible location near the front gates. Thus, for nonbinary students like Albano who often use gender-neutral or men’s bathrooms, the struggle to obtain menstrual products is even more prevalent.

“Though I disagree with the taboo of periods, students like me shouldn’t have to put themselves in a possibly emotionally vulnerable position just to be able to practice basic hygiene on campus,” he said.

Albano said that in the past year, the gender-neutral bathrooms have not provided the protection and security they were built for. He’s had to avoid these bathrooms, one of which recently had its stall door torn off.

“Considering the bathroom culture at Bran- ham, I have to make accommodations just to be able to have access to a bathroom,” Albano said.

Students have voiced various possible solutions in fixing this issue, including placing dispensers in each individual stall or advertising other areas that have these products available, such as the Wellness Center and the office.

Fine said more rigorous consequences for bathroom destruction may be a solution.

“I hope to see the admin hand out stricter consequences for students who vandalize the restrooms,” she said. “I recognize this is very much a student issue, and it really confuses me what the motivation is behind their actions with supplies they also need to use.”

Albano hopes to see an overall shift in not just student vandalism, but in the perception of menstruation as menstrual products are still a necessity that deserve the same respect as other supplies.

“I’m really proud of the school for implementing gender neutral bathrooms, but I’m sad with how the student body has tarnished this chance to allow queer students on campus a safe haven restroom,” he said.

Editors-in-Chief | Jiyoon Choi and Nolan Zils

Editors

Art director: Erica Kang

News

Editor: Alli Wang

Opinion Editor: Alli Wang

Arts and Entertainment Editor: Ava Stark

Science and Health

Editor: Angela Choi

Student Life Editor: Reese Gardner

Sports Editor: Alan Schaeffer

Online Editor: Sahasra Makamchenna

Staff writers Juliette Bonacum, Mila Windell, Makayla Wu, Lia Choi, Owen Dazko, Carissa Takaki, Shantala Murujanugan, Aresema Agdie, Ryan Walters, Aadyant Suresh, Anabelle Walker

Guest artists: Dhatri Tummala and Grace Ngo

Adviser: Fitzgerald Vo

Statement student body.

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