Sometimes the “urge to go” comes when one may be in an unknown area of campus, standing outside a building never before entered but which hopefully has decent facilities. Sometimes, perhaps after finding issues with long lines or crossing paths with a former roommate from hell, one may want to switch up their pit stop routine. Whatever the reason for one’s visit, Daily Texan staffers have compiled a list of the top 10 most interesting on-campus bathrooms.
1. Jogging through campus and need to make a pit-stop? Homer Rainey Hall offers restrooms with convenient exterior entry so runners can avoid sweating through the halls in search of relief. Whether the original architects meant the exterior entry for this purpose is debatable, but such a feature stands out on campus as it is more commonly found at neglected gas stations.
2. The 10th floor men’s bathroom in the stairwell of Robert Lee Moore Hall offers a handy hangout for students sick of living with roommates, as it provides lockers and a small shower. The bathroom’s location in the stairwell creates convenient (and hidden) access between classes.
3. Several buildings on campus were built during the 1930s, including Waggener Hall, built in 1931. The building is home to the Classics Department and several “classic” bathrooms reflecting the vintage ’30s style. Rumors floated online of a secret tunnel once existing in the women’s bathroom on the third floor, although the door leading to it no longer exists. The men’s bathroom also lacks urinals.
4. A number of students know of the main restrooms in Gregory Gym, sporting showers and a sauna for sweaty students post-workout. Less commonly known facilities, however, are located in the front lobby of Gregory before one even has to swipe their ID, giving an option of a pre-workout potty break without the hustle and bustle of the main bathrooms.
5. Ernest Cockrell, Jr. Hall helps hungry visitors feel more at home with its diner-style decor. Basement level bathrooms are tiled in black, white and red all over. The black and white checkered tiles with red accents are a design rarely encountered elsewhere on campus.
6. Those looking for solidarity can take comfort in the bathrooms down the hall from Texas Union Ballroom in the Texas Union. The women’s stall provides about as much space as an airplane latrine and allows one to close an actual door — not just a stall door — between the sink area and the toilet.
7.Sometimes students struggle through the library, carrying a boatload of books, a loaded backpack complete with study-survival gear and a cup of coffee when the urge to go suddenly hits. The stalls in the Perry Castañeda Library contain convenient shelves built into the walls above and behind each toilet to suppress all fears of dropping that late-night snack on the bathroom floor.
8.The modernistic style of the Student Activity Center continues into bathrooms. Technology such as automatic sinks, automatic soap and lighting that turns off when vacant in addition to oversized mirrors provide an opportunity for optimal usage.
9. Need a nap? Out-dated couches put the “rest” in the restrooms of the Tower. Other couches are scattered across campus as well, but the Tower’s central location provides easy access from all areas of campus for those looking to relieve themselves in more than one way.
10. For a room with a view, check out either the men’s or the women’s restrooms on the upper level on the “A” side of the Communications Building. The floor to ceiling glass windows situated near the sinks make one feel as if they are standing on a high-rise balcony overlooking the city.
