What are the best/worst bathrooms on campus?

The Loo. The Facilities. The Latrine. Everyone needs to go to the bathroom, and sometimes you’re on campus when duty calls. It’s normal and natural, but boy is it inconvenient. But, when disaster strikes, where do you go?

VALLEY polled Penn State students on which bathrooms on campus are the best, and which ones are the real stinkers.

Before we get into the list there are a few things we need to clear up:

No two bathrooms are the same: The difference between a Male and Female bathroom on any floor in any building is most likely night and day. It is difficult to gauge which bathrooms are the best a particular building has to offer, so the rankings were fairly general.
Size matters: The size of the facility, the spacing between the stalls and overall privacy that the bathroom gives has been taken in consideration within the ranking.
Cleanliness is essential: Obviously bathrooms aren’t going to always be in pristine condition, but it couldn’t hurt if they were. Overall cleanliness of the floor, stalls, counter and mirror has been accounted for.
Only Educational Buildings will be included: No one is a fan of communal bathrooms, which most, if not all dorm buildings include, and the bathrooms in the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium are always a mess. These spots would have run away with the worst rankings, so we deemed them unworthy to be included.

Now that we have that out of the way, it’s time to get into the list that was chosen by you, the Penn State students.

Honorable Mentions:

Worst:

Thomas Building and Osmond Lab Men’s

Best:

ASI (Agricultural Sciences and Industries) building.

4. Worst – Pattee and Paterno Library

The library is undoubtedly one of the best places to study, however it loses its appeal whenever you might need to use the loo. The bathrooms aren’t grimy or gross (in most cases), but due to the library being a frequently used building, it’s tough to get privacy in what is already a smaller bathroom. Having one or two bathrooms on each floor also did not help the library’s chances in this ranking. While it’s not the worst bathroom on campus, you can easily find better options. Or at least, less frequently used options.

4. Best – Keller Building

Keller Building earns this placement because of one word. Privacy. Featuring a single person bathroom plays a very big role in the bathrooms being private and comfortable. The standard bathrooms are also more than serviceable on most days, being spacious and generally clean. The location of the Keller Building is also beneficial as it’s tucked to the top left corner of the campus. Unless you have class in Keller, there isn’t much reason to head there, therefore there typically isn’t much foot traffic. Less foot traffic = more privacy.

3. Worst – Hammond Building

No. Just no. The Hammond Building bathrooms are dark, musty and old. Just looking at the floors can make your skin crawl. The bathrooms are often out of paper towels, soap or both, which is always frustrating, and frankly very gross. All of this is only worsened by the small size which will make the bathroom feel cramped if there are more than two people in there at any given time. Moreover, the small space yields small stalls. If you are even remotely claustrophobic, it’s best that you keep your distance from these bathrooms.

3. Best – Susan Welch Building

Spacious and private, these bathrooms are the perfect choice if you’re in the area of the Susan Welch Building. Due to its location, there are not a lot of people that go in and out of the restrooms, so it’s easy to find privacy often.

The bathrooms also stay clean, are always stocked and are luxuriously lit with a large mirror if you ever feel the need to freshen up. If you are ever in a pinch, the Susan Welch Building provides a safe haven if you are looking for privacy and cleanliness, especially if you can deal with its somewhat isolated location.

2. Worst – Forum Building

These facilities suffer from what we at VALLEY call TMPS. Too Many People Syndrome, and the main symptom is that there’s always a line for the bathroom. The bathrooms are small, cramped and are not equipped deal with the amount of people that are flooding in and out of the building for class. Whether it’s a quick pit stop, or a longer break, there is always seems to be someone in there with you.

Its problems do not stop there however. The stalls have huge gaps between the doors and the dividers which is not exactly comfortable. Not only that, but the floors are typically littered with paper, trash and other junk. The bathrooms don’t feel clean or comfortable and seem to suffer from some very poor planning, earning the runner up worst bathroom on our list.

2. Best – Business Building

The Business Building bathrooms can be summed up in two words. Spacious and Clean. Largely reflective of the business building itself. Because of the building’s size, it’s easy to find a restroom when needed, however finding one that’s completely vacant is a little more challenging due to the building’s overall popularity. Nonetheless, the stalls provide plenty of space and privacy, even if the room itself is not so big. This might be the bare minimum, but bare minimum is hard to come by these days. Due to their cleanliness and space alone, these bathrooms earn their rankings, despite the frequent use of them.

1. Worst – Old Willard Building

The good old Willard building. It’s always there for Penn State students when we need it, whether we like it or not. For better or for worse, its bathrooms are there for us as well, but it’s probably in your best interest not to use them.

Willard is an older building, and it’s obvious. However, its age shouldn’t excuse how utterly gross some of the bathrooms seem to be. There are dark stains on many of the floors, and the bathrooms are constantly out of toilet paper and hand towels, which is frustrating in its own right. This is only made worse when you realize that many of the stall doors simply refuse to lock. So much for privacy. Was there ever any doubt that these bathrooms would take the top spot on our list?1. Best – Willard Media Center

1. Best – Willard Media Center

What’s not to love about the Willard Media Center. Its sleek look extends to every corner of the building, including its bathrooms. The bathrooms feature spacious stalls and are always clean and well kept (for bathroom standards). There are three floors of bathrooms that are tucked away in private areas, so privacy is typically a non-issue in the media center. However, the cherry on top are the big, beautiful mirrors that are complimented with the luxurious lighting. For those reasons, it’s been voted the top bathroom on Penn State’s Campus.

Do you have a favorite bathroom on Penn State’s Campus? Share your preferred building @VALLEYmag on X!