Potty Talk

Being at college where students' minds are constantly working, being filled with new information and challenged by what others are saying, it is no surprise the diverse and wacky topics that arise at the dinner table, in dorm rooms, or on a long bus ride home from a cross country meet. So I was not at all shocked when last week the discussion at dinner turned toward the new "sweet" toilets that have been put in the new science building.

This fall Luther is proudly opening its new eco-friendly Sampson Hoffland Laboratories building. It will house the biology and chemistry labs, as well as some offices for the science professors. From the outside, one sees beautiful landscaping and many windows showing the comfortable study lounges right inside the main doors. Just glancing at this masterpiece will make any student wish they were a biology major (if only for a few minutes).

Now back to the subject of these new toilets. At dinner some of the guys were raging about how neat these porcelain bowls were. These toilets not only just flush, they have 2 options for flushing! Option 1 is when only liquid waste is present. In this case the handle should be pushed up. Option 2 is when solid waste needs to go down, and in that case the handle should be pushed down. These choices aren't just to make patrons feel more empowered during their bathroom experience. Rather, it is to save on water and electricity. When the handle is pushed up to get rid of liquid waste, less water is used than when the handle is pushed down.

And so after hearing all about these new potties, I decided I couldn't wait until my labs this week to see for myself actually how cool they were. So I wandered across the street and prepared myself to be amazed. I found out that not only are the toilets pretty high-tech, the whole bathroom is aimed at conserving resources. As I tentatively pushed open the bathroom door the motion-censored lights flickered on not wasting electricity when the bathroom is empty. Then I noticed that the handle on the toilet also has a green coating on it to fight germs! I really like that added amenity, hopefully saving students from spreading nasty colds throughout the year. The sinks are also motion-censored and will cut down on wasted water. All of these things will help reduce the mark that Luther leaves on the environment, and that's just in the bathroom! The rest of the Sampson Hoffland building is also very environmentally friendly- special windows, air circulation, and more.

Be sure to stop by and see this new addition to our campus. It is pretty neat (and not just the bathrooms). If you won't be on campus, you can check out pictures here.

One of the guys at dinner that night actually stood in the bathroom and repeatedly flushed the toilet just because it was so cool, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of the new toilets - but I guess the draw of these toilets will at least get people into the new building!