University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations staff are collaborating with the Office of Institutional Diversity, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access, the OSU Pride Center and Associated Students of Oregon State University on a project to incorporate gender-inclusive restrooms across the Corvallis campus.
Gender-inclusive restrooms are designed to accommodate all users. This group may include transgender or gender-nonconforming people, but gender-inclusive facilities serve other groups as well, such as parents or caretakers who need to assist a different gender child or a person with disabilities. Establishing gender-inclusive facilities at OSU has been a top priority for ASOSU and is frequently requested by students.
The committee in charge of project hired three student employees to conduct a survey of nearly 900 restroom facilities across the Corvallis campus. The surveyors were charged with evaluating the general condition of the facilities and assessing ADA compliance. The survey results will determine how UFIO prioritizes renovations and restroom conversions.
Project Managers Carrie Trant and Scylise Little have met with various OSU units and staff from Corvallis Public Schools to gather feedback and ideas for how the OSU Design and Construction Standards may be amended to include gender-inclusive restrooms.
The committee also learned that approximately 30% of campus buildings have already begun to informally transition some restrooms toward a gender-inclusive model. Trant said the piecemeal, DIY approach to converting existing facilities isn’t ideal, but it does demonstrate the strong demand on campus for change, which is positive.
Image: The gender-inclusive restroom design at Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts.
Teresita Alvarez-Cortez, assistant vice president for strategic diversity initiatives, is leading an additional survey to learn how the campus community feels about the current facilities. The survey is open through October 15 and can be found at beav.es/restroom-survey.
Examples of gender-neutral restrooms can already be found in newer construction on campus, including Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts and in the recently renovated Cordley Hall. Project Delivery is hoping to start construction on an inclusive restroom design at Gilkey Hall by late October. The proposed design for Gilkey is a multi-user layout, with a row of private rooms, each with a toilet and a locking door, similar to the designs already in place at PRAx and Cordley Hall. The individual rooms do not include a sink, but shared sinks will be available separate from the private compartments.
The student-led survey of existing restroom facilities has wrapped up and the data collected is being evaluated by the committee. Those findings and the results from the community survey led by EOA will inform how the committee moves forward in completing the project.
