Another Step Towards Equality:

The new bathroom signs create a sense of inclusion and tolerance on the university's campus. 
Photo courtesy of The Princeton Times

Returning students to Concord University may have noticed a subtle but significant change to the campus interior. For many years now, the school has had unisex restrooms for the comfort and convenience of students and visitors. However, after some deliberation and research, Rick Dillon, Vice President and Associate Dean of Students Rick Dillon decided that a change was needed. So, the signs on the unisex restrooms have now been replaced with “gender neutral” restroom signs.

In an official statement from the University, President Kendra Boggess said, "The eight designated ‘All Gender Restrooms’ on campus are single toilet facilities open for anyone to use. The restrooms are considered ‘unisex’ facilities and the signage is an attempt to inform our campus community of the change. Under the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines, agencies are encouraged to provide unisex, single-user restrooms when feasible to maximize comfort and access for everyone without discrimination. Concord University’s primary responsibility is to our students by providing them with a quality education in a safe environment.”

When asked why this change was enacted at this time as opposed to sooner or later and what research went into making this decision, Dillon declined to comment. In any case, only the signs outside of the eight restrooms were changed. The actual restrooms themselves remain intact. So what has essentially changed really is the tone and rhetoric coming from the school itself, and with this shift, Concord seems to be making steps towards what can be considered a modern worldview. As for the signs themselves, they depict a man, a woman, and a person in a partial dress, and are up in places where anyone can read them, as per the requirements for such signs. 

Thus far, student responses to the change seem overwhelmingly positive. In a recent Facebook post, Concord alumnus Caroline Hachem stated, “I'm so proud of Concord!! This is such an innovation, especially considering our locale! Slowly but surely, we're becoming a more accepting campus for every form of humanity. Way to go, Concord!” 

Local resident and student Amanda Naylor more or less agreed with Ms. Hachem’s statement, “The bathrooms have always been open for anyone to use. This semester, we simply put up a sign declaring solidarity for the LGBT community while leaving things just as they always were. Anyone who is upset by this has either never been on our campus, or is foaming at the mouth to be offended and outraged by something.” 

This change has not gone without criticism in some circles, not because of the signs themselves, but that the changes do not go far enough. Jon Lloyd, a senior and commuter, said, “the changes Concord University made to the bathrooms was an excellent idea. Now if they could address the handicap issues on campus too, I'd be very happy.” It would appear that students are very supportive of this new change, but wish that more can be done about the difficulty some handicapped students might have in reaching these restrooms. 

With this slight but ever so important change, Concord University has taken a step to be more inclusive to students from all walks of life. In a recent article for the Princeton Times, written by Sara Cameron, Rick Dillon said, “We will always think about gender-neutral, as we move forward. I think we are getting ahead of the game, as the country moves forward in LGBTQ rights.” One can only hope Concord rises up to the challenge of its rivals as the ever-present march of time continues.