Tour de Toilette Vol. 2: Ranking Radford’s Bathrooms Again

By: John Ratliff II

 

In 2024, students were informed of the highs and lows of the Radford University restrooms across several on-campus locations. This year, we’re bringing it back! These ten bathrooms were ranked on the aesthetic, cleanliness, smell, and capacity between male, female, and all-gender bathrooms. The sample restrooms were chosen based on closest proximity to first entrance because the number of restrooms exceeds the limit of my bladder. 

Kyle Hall: 3/5 Stars

Dirty business here. Not a very private place. The bathroom was quite tight and shaped diagonally. The green walls, colored tile floors and windows set it apart from other, more lazy restrooms. The men’s stalls had rectangular-shaped cutouts on the bottom wall. The women’s bathroom had three stalls, with the middle one being locked from the inside, missing the handle.

Hemphill Hall: 4/5 Stars

Skipping past Starbucks, we found the main bathrooms. What’s horrific about these bathrooms is how narrow they are. Their sheer length highlights the missed opportunity. The men’s restroom wall on one side looks about as empty as my research essay. Could definitely use more décor or toilets. Very clean though.

Waldron Wall: 5/5 Stars

Very nice. Painted in bricky maroon. Everything was clean and stocked well. Bathrooms are welcoming to the guests sitting in the lobby, even including step stools for children to wash their hands. The women’s room even had flowers! While they had paper towel dispensers already, they included extra tabletop paper towel dispensers with the thickest and softest paper I’ve ever felt on campus.

Artis Center: 5/5 Stars

Quite artsy. Stalls included some color and even an LED-lit mirror in the ladies’ room. The men’s room was very tight and only had two stalls and no urinals. However, what really carries Artis’s restrooms are the all-gender ones. They are very spacious, clean, smelled great, and felt very personal. Bonus points for the one bathroom that includes a shower.

The Bonnie: 3/5 Stars

The most common restroom, proven by our long wait for people to exit before our investigation. Most urinals and stalls were unflushed, and full of paper towels. What the Bonnie bathroom lacks in cleanliness, it makes up for with capacity. Plenty of room for students to take refuge when the Chick-fil-A lines lead out into Hissho Sushi and Student Choice. 

Dalton Dining Hall: 1/5 Stars

An overpowering chemical scent plus dingy yellow lights make for a deadly combo. By far the worst bathroom I had seen. The women’s restroom wasn’t so bad and had many stalls, but the men’s was far worse. Horribly unclean, but stocked well. 

Peters Hall: 3/5 Stars

Nothing too noteworthy, as they felt like an average school bathroom. Surprisingly larger capacity of toilets and sinks than expected, with separate mirrors per sink, individualizing the experience. I would not recommend the urinals for short guys as the one shorter urinal is between two taller ones, so remember the bro code in there.

Curie/Reed Hall: 4/5 Stars

Very modern and overall looks pleasant, both in aesthetic and cleanliness. The paper towel dispensers are on the farthest side of the counter, instead of by the doorway. Not very practical. We also found a lot of paper towels on the floor, maybe the result of some kind of frustration.

Cook Hall: 2/5 Stars

With the Esports center close by, we had anticipated an odor around the men’s restroom, but the inside smelled ok. The entry was like stepping into a walk-in closet. Some trash on the floor, but tame for a bathroom. However, the women’s room was reported to have an atrocious odor, lacked toilet paper, paper towels, and clean toilets

Young Hall: 3/5 Stars

The women’s restroom had stalls on both walls, creating a hallway of porcelain thrones to claim. “Very clean and bright” were the descriptions reported. The men’s side however has only 1 stall and urinal with a dull green design on the sink counter. A giant window in the stall that was completely opaque. Okay? You are also locked at a 72-degree Fahrenheit thermostat in the room. 

This year Waldron and Artis share the crown for highest ranked restrooms. We did the dirty work for you, and don’t worry, we washed our hands. Don’t agree with these rankings? reach out @rutartan on Instagram and let us know your thoughts.