I shit you not: Barus and Holley
This week, in the name of journalism (and course requirements) I found myself in the older part of the engineering building, the place where dreams go to die. It was here that I bit down my nails during midterms, it was here I spent hours realizing I don’t know anything about organic chemistry, and it was here that I burned off my skin and my soul. This place, is, of course, Barus and Holley.
Along with the soulless cinderblock classrooms, Barus and Holley comes with a couple shitty bathrooms. The multi-stall ones are complete trash (more on that at a future date), but the single stall one is...shittable.
The single-stall, accessible, gender-inclusive bathroom in Barus and Holley can be found by walking through the front of the Engineering Research Center, continuing straight up the ramp, and then turning left. It’s right by the side entrance to Barus and Holley, right by the Brown Design Workshop. This is the Barus and Holley version of the single-stall, accessible, gender-inclusive bathroom in the ERC, but clearly the untested beta version. Maybe even an alpha pre-release.
Barus and Holley has no fancy colored tiles to guide you into the bathroom. There’s maybe a green linoleum tile on the ground, but there’s no cute mosaic outside. The sign outside is pretty standard. Nothing spectacular about it.
I walked in through the normal sized door and was greeted explicitly with a toilet and shower. It’s nice to know that there’s a place to wash away all the sorrows from this place.
But what really stuck out was just how dark this bathroom is. There’s only one light, right above the toilet and sink, and it’s pretty dim. Time becomes an illusion in this bathroom, with everything lying there in the shadows. You could walk into this bathroom at sunrise and feel the exact same as you do at three in the afternoon or midnight.
The shower is reminiscent of a shower in Grad Center, what with its janky plastic tub. It’s nice that there is a detachable shower head. The shower curtain bar leaves something to be desired. It looks a little insecure, but then again, in this economy, what doesn’t?
The shitting experience in this bathroom is mediocre. You don’t particularly feel uncomfortable shitting, but you don’t really feel comfortable. This might also be because I once tried to use this bathroom last year and walked in on a guy trying to pee. I know the lock works, and I wonder why the guy didn’t check to make sure the door was locked, and now I’m constantly paranoid that the lock’s broken and that someone is going to walk in me while I’m taking a shit. When I took a shit, I stared at the door and at the broken off radiator piece while I sat there, silently praying that the voices outside the door would not come any closer. I shit you not, whether that would’ve been worse for me or them is a question I’m happy to leave unanswered.
This bathroom is not exempt from skimping out on good toilet paper like the rest of the bathrooms on campus, but I appreciate the sanitary products it offers. It’s got a whole array of tampons and small pads for those who need it. Granted, this bathroom has a shower, but it’s a nice touch, especially in a building dedicated to a field historically dominated by cis men.
As much shit I give Barus and Holley, this bathroom isn’t disgusting or anything. It’s functional, and in a pinch, will do. It’s not quite as creepy as a multi-stall basement bathroom, even if it does serve as a timeless chamber. It’s shittable, and sometimes, that’s all you need.
Just please, please lock the door.
Images via MJ Lee '22
