Potty Talk

I just got back from my art class, which is in the basement of the art building on my campus. Normally it would be on the 2nd floor, but they're conducting asbestos abatement on the 2nd and 3rd floor this summer. Today we did printmaking, which was particularly exciting as the water was shut off so we were working out of 6 buckets of water. My teacher didn't find out about the unavailability of water until last night.

So the bathrooms are closed from the basement to the 3rd floor, but the 4th and 5th floor still has running water (and they're not doing anything up there this summer, supposedly). But it didn't work out as planned today. I wrote the following email to an individual in Facilities Management after calling the office of the Dean of Students to express my concerns. I think it explains itself.



Hello (Individual who works in Facilities Management),

I am a UW-O student currently taking a Spring Interim class in the basement of the A/C building. I have a concern about the asbestos abatement currently being conducted.

Today the water on floors 3 to the basement was shut down. We were under the impression that the 4th floor ladies room and the 5th floor mens room would be open in the tower portion of the building. When I went up to the 4th floor room, there was a workman in it who abruptly left and joined his 2 laughing friends in an empty room across the hallway. About an hour later, one of my classmates had to use the facilities and when the elevator opened on the 4th floor the elevator entrance had been barricaded with a ladder and taped off. She then went up to the 5th floor and was told by a workman that she shouldn't be going into the mens room.

Shortly after that incident, we were made aware that all of the bathrooms were being shut down in the building. My questions are as follows:

Why are there workmen sitting around the 4th floor investigating and laughing about the ladies bathroom? Is there something amusing I should know about before I use it next year?

Why would a workman lecture a female student about the inappropriate nature of using the mens room when it's the only one available? Is he getting paid to harass students?

Why are the 4th and 5th floor bathrooms shut down? Is there a problem with the plumbing in the 4th and 5th floor?

Is it acceptable to expect approximately 40 students who pay tuition and taxes to go to another building to use the bathroom? (At least one of whom is disabled?)

I apologize for the irritated tone of this email--I have already contacted the office of the Dean of Students and they directed me to you. I know there is probably a good reason for this. I would appreciate any insight into this situation you have to give.

Thank you for your time,
Noushieboushie