By Marlee Neumann
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Students on the Camden County College Blackwood campus have taken issue with the maintenance of some of the bathrooms on campus. The college president says the school is addressing the issue.
This is the door of the women’s bathroom on the first floor of Madison Hall. By Marlee Neumann, CCC Journalism Program
Joe Pergola, 21, a second-year student at CCC, said recently the men’s bathrooms in Madison Hall contained overflowing trashcans, clogged toilets and a foul odor. “I go out of my way to use the bathrooms in Lincoln Hall because they are clean,” stated Pergola. For two years he has attended day classes twice a week and claimed he has never seen a custodian working in any restroom he has used.
Isabella Polisi, 19, also a second-year student at CCC, made similar claims about the women’s bathrooms. “When in Madison Hall, bathrooms seem to lack attention, seats can be dirty, there are often soap dispensers that are empty and toilet paper on the floor.” During school hours Polisi tries to use the restrooms in Halpern Hall, which she described as “typically clean” and “well maintained.”
Some students did not find the maintenance of bathrooms around campus to be an issue.
Brooke Destra, 21, also a second-year student at CCC, attends class five days a week and regularly uses the women’s bathrooms in Madison Hall. She stated they are “pretty clean for the most part” and claimed never to have left because of sanitary issues or to have encountered a lack of soap or paper towels in the dispensers.
Christopher Berrios, 19, a first-year student at CCC, said of the men’s bathrooms, “I use the bathrooms in Madison Hall, and they are pretty well-kept.” However, he said he often encountered a foul odor in those bathrooms.
Posted on a wall inside each bathroom on campus is at least one sign with the statement “If this bathroom needs attention, please call 856-374-5009” and the Camden County College logo. This statement is also posted on the inside of some of the bathroom’s stalls.
College President Don Borden said administrators are taking several steps to address the conditions of the bathrooms on campus.
“We are sensitive to the concerns and are restructuring our upcoming custodial contract to place greater emphasis on bathroom cleaning, most particularly, more cleaning resources during school hours. We also encourage students and staff to contact us using the facilities phone number posted in the bathrooms so we can address any issue,” Borden said. “In addition, we are issuing student surveys this month to get specific feedback from students regarding facilities, including bathroom cleanliness.”