Privacy has a ‘hole’ new name

Illicit activities in the third floor men’s room of Mendocino Hall appear to no longer be a problem this semester thanks to a new stall wall construction design. However, it appears that illicit activities are now occurring in the second floor men’s room.

The latest reported incident of unusual activity occurred on the evening of Sept. 9 in the second floor bathroom, where two male subjects were seen entering the same stall. No suspects were questioned but a report was taken.

Since these activities are a misdemeanor offense, the police have to see the crime occur in order to arrest or cite any suspects, said John Hamrick of the University Police. If suspects are detained and questioned by the police, then a report is filed with the District Attorney’s office. If a warrant is issued, then the University Police follow through with any arrests.

Police routinely patrol the bathrooms in an attempt to deter men looking for sex. The police have been aware of the situation for years, and suggest that students use another bathroom and report any unusual circumstances to the police.

Some students still feel comfortable using the bathroom regardless of the activities.

“I feel safe, I don’t have a problem,” said student Ryan Hardin. “If anything happens, I’ll just notify (the police.)”

The reason for the decrease in activity on the third floor appears to be the replacement of the original plastic walls with a heavier-duty material. The walls were replaced with steel recently because of extensive holes in the original walls, said Howard Harris, associate vice president of Facilities Management. The plastic walls are still in place in the second floor men’s room, where three holes currently exist, one as large as two inches in diameter, which was reported on the morning of Sept. 9.

There are currently no plans to replace all of the stall walls in Mendocino Hall men’s rooms with steel ones.

“If problems arise in other areas, I assume we’ll repair them as well” said Harris.

Professors with offices near the third floor bathroom have also noticed a decrease in activity.

“It’s been very quiet,” said Sharmon Goff, photography lecturer, whose office is directly across from the men’s room.

It appears that activity may have moved to other buildings across campus besides Mendocino Hall. On numerous stall walls across campus, the second floor library bathroom is mentioned as a meeting place for gay sex, however the police have no reported incidents at that location. A Web site that lists places to go for gay sex also mentions bathrooms in the English and Science buildings as other meeting places.

The Web site, cruisingforsex.com, that has been partly responsible for the increase in gay sex on campus in recent years has not updated its site as to the construction changes in the third floor bathroom and no mention is made of the second floor bathroom.

Plans for future buildings, such as Mariposa Hall, do not include the use of steel walls in the bathrooms.