This semester, you may have noticed some plaster patching on the walls where the COVID-19 sanitation stations used to be located. These stations once had hand sanitizer dispensers as well as paper towels, and were located in a variety of classrooms, resident halls, and academic buildings.
According to Yasmin Bugaighis, Director of Facilities Management, Planning and Construction, “We started removing the sanitizer stations over the summer. They were a holdover from the early days of COVID-19.”
Facilities had been monitoring their utilization and found that very few people were using them.
“Surprisingly, [there was little usage] during early COVID-19 days as well,” Bugaighis added.
Due to low usage and the fact that washing hands with soap and water is more effective, Facilities decided to remove the units.
Both the CDC and WHO agree that washing hands with soap and water is the most effective way to remove germs, with ethanol-based hand sanitizer as a good alternative when sinks aren’t available,” said Daniel Proud, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences.
“Since most classrooms are near bathrooms, I don’t expect the removal of sanitizer stations to cause a major increase in germ spread — but it does put more responsibility on individuals to wash their hands regularly and come prepared with their own supplies if they’re sick,” he explained.
Some students have complained about the absence of the paper towel dispensers, for uses other than sanitation; for example, students used the towels to blow their noses during class, clean whiteboards, and wipe up spills.
“Why would they take them away?” asked psychology major Sydnie Stanton ‘27. “They were useful, and now a lot of effort has been put into removing them, leaving a random white paint mark on each wall.”
Stanton recalled spilling water in Comenius Hall before realizing she had to walk up a flight of stairs for a paper towel. Since Comenius doesn’t have bathrooms on the first floor, and the floors have alternating gendered bathrooms (for example, women’s on the fourth floor, and men’s on the third), Stanton had to walk up a flight of stairs just for a paper towel.
“They’re even taking them from dorms near the water fountains and lounges where people eat,” she added. “I’m assuming they were there because of COVID, but that again doesn’t take from their usefulness now.”
The paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms have also been replaced and upgraded, but that is simply a coincidence and not related to the removal of the sanitation stations.
“We will not be [re-]installing the paper towel dispensers that were next to the sanitizer stations; there is no need,” Bugaighis said.
