Statewide campuses strive to be more inclusive

*Audio clip is of Michelle Bogdan-Hilt, USU’s Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion director.

Utah State University’s Logan campus has implemented measures to include students by implementing gender-neutral bathrooms. Campuses across the state have similar inclusion plans.  

Michelle Bogdan-Holt, the director of USU’s Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, helped spearhead the project in 2018. 

“Our mission here is to create a safe and inclusive space for all students,” Bogdan-Holt said. “Anything that we can do as an office to forward that goal and that vision, we are going to do our very best to try to accomplish that.” 

According to Jordy Guth, the director of USU Facilities Planning and Sustainability, USU has over 100 all-gender bathrooms, most of which were implemented in 2019.  

Guth said she began the project by changing the signage on single-stall bathrooms to say, “All gender.” The bathrooms also fit the guidelines of the American Disabilities Act, and many have lactation rooms near them.  

“It’s not just for people who don’t fit the binary. It’s for literally anyone who uses the restroom,” said Jack Thacker, a USU English student. “It’s just more convenient for everybody.” 

According to Guth, the Logan campus will apply for capital improvement funding during the legislative session to put in more inclusive bathrooms.  

Bogdan-Holt and Erika Lindstrom, the Gender and Sexuality coordinator, have also updated USU’s campus map to show students the location of all-gender restrooms.  

According to Latrisha Fall, the program coordinator and assistant director for the Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research, the announcement of new bathrooms has helped several students.  

“It’s helpful for students to be free of the pressure of navigating which bathroom to use. It sets a tone that USU cares, especially (that) the administration cares about the students,” Fall said.    

Fall said the Roosevelt campus has a gender-inclusive bathroom, and the Vernal campus is building one.   

Lindstrom said that transgender and non-binary students have talked with her about the fears of using binary bathrooms. She said some have experienced harassment using restrooms that align with their gender identity.  

“I’m lucky because no one bothers me if I go into a women’s restroom. But it feels a little bit wrong. Going to gender-inclusive bathrooms doesn’t feel wrong,” Thacker said.  

In 2016, USU Eastern began implementing the restrooms. Now they have one in nearly every building, according to Cameron West, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coordinator. USU Eastern is working to implement bathrooms in the three remaining buildings.  

West said that many USU Eastern students pushed for change, especially to put a gender-inclusive restroom in the student center.  

“That’s been a huge impact for students because they’re big drivers,” West said.  

After the students petitioned for an all-gender restroom in the student center, they received the funding necessary to build it.  

According to Timothy Olsen, the director of students in the Brigham City Region, the Brigham City campus has two gender-inclusive restrooms, and the Kaysville campus has one.  

“It was a priority for students and leadership to make that happen and make sure that we were creating an inclusive environment for all those who are on our campuses,” Olsen said.  

Kellie Miles, Tooele’s student success coordinator, said that there is one gender-inclusive restroom in USU Tooele, and there are plans to build another in the main campus building.  

Joan Miller, a classroom facilitator in Moab, said USU Moab has two gender-inclusive restrooms that comply with ADA guidelines.  

“I think all campuses are working toward bettering, knowing that there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Fall said.  

-Jenny.Carpenter@usu.edu

Featured photo by Aspen Marshall