Spartan Daily

Sidebar: The King of all bathrooms

Several students interviewed for the story “What the Flush? A look at bathrooms at SJSU” said they had encountered homeless people in bathrooms at SJSU, one specifically in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. library.

"I have seen homeless people in the restrooms," Frank Cariglio, a senior public relations major said. "One time I saw a man washing up in the library."

"That got me thinking that maybe the bathrooms in the
school are not too safe."

The King library, an joint endeavor undertaken by the city of San Jose and San Jose State University, might seem like a prime place to attract unsavory characters who might abuse their privileges of being able to use the bathroom.

Yet employees who work at the library say there is not much trouble surrounding the bathrooms, be it from students or citizens.

The night supervisor at the King Library who preferred to withhold her identity, said she had encountered individuals trying to sleep out in the library in the past, and was aware that people used the bathrooms the bathe.

Although inevitably, when serving in a public library, there will be arrests made on individuals with outstanding warrants, this was part of the territory that comes with operating a public library.

Coming from a background in the public library system, this librarian said she was used to dealing with homeless people, often the ones who choose to bathe themselves in public restrooms, and said they don’t bother her.

While she said one specific corner bathroom of the library might be unsafe because it is blocked from the view of the security guards, she generally would advise people to be comfortable using the bathrooms at any hours of the night.

“They’re safe, and they’re cleaned regularly.”

Visitors using the library did not especially concern the librarian anyway, since the librarians have a separate staff bathroom, with a private shower she said.

University Police Department officer Walker said she hadn’t encountered anyone creeping around in bathrooms or trying to hide out after hours.

“I don’t hear about people trying to sleep in bathrooms,” she said. “I haven’t come across anyone trying to go into bathrooms and stay around.“

She said bathrooms would be a fairly poor place to try and hide out, since every night before closing, UPD and Librarians sweep the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library to make sure there are no stragglers trying to secure a free night inside with the warmth and solitude of an empty floor.

Walker said she and other UPD officers are in place to make sure the environment is safe, and that she takes her duty of defending the bathrooms at the King Library seriously.

While who is using the bathroom at the library is the concern of some, where the water that is used is going is of great importance to others.

Jared Isaacson, an energy analyst from Facilities, Development and Operations said that through the use of recycled water for toilet and urinal flushing, the King Library was saving money and natural resources, reducing the amount of potable, or drinkable, water used by more than half.
http://vimeo.com/33356737