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The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

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The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

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Locker Rooms on the Fifth Floor, Please?

[/caption] Tina Czaplinska & Mehr Singh Staff Writer & Co-Sports Editor As sophomores, we represent the grade level that frequents the fifth floor the most. However, we think we speak for most of Latin students when we say that we hate climbing up to the fifth floor. And while we spend most of our days avoiding traveling the distance, taking Yoga and Pilates (or a gym in general) makes that difficult. And while it is evident that this rule is causing more problems than it is solving any, teachers do not seem to share the same dislike of the rule. Granted, some of the faculty is not as strict about that particular rule but the rule is still heavily enforced, and for a variety of reasons. Reasons that the teachers often agree with. Ms. Bunger, an English teacher, has an office on the fifth floor, right next to the bathroom. She claims that most of the time, she tries to make a joke about it. Despite that, she also agrees with Ms. McCarthy, claiming that making people wait to use the bathroom takes the little time out of their day that they have to take care of what they need to take care of. Ms. McCarthy, sophomore dean also with an office on the fifth floor, agrees that the trip to the locker rooms is a hassle, but it is going to take more than that to bring down the rule. She claims that it is really a space issue saying, “There is just no room up here on the fifth floor for an extra set of locker rooms. And since students and teachers alike have very little time in-between classes for themselves, it is unfair to make them wait in the bathroom for someone who isn’t even using it.” Ms. McCarthy admits that she does not man the bathrooms for bathroom-changers just to bust them during gym periods, but it is highly unlikely that the rule will be changed. After doing a survey in a Yoga and Pilates class (whose block will not be named, so students don’t get in trouble!)  as well as with some other anonymous students, the answers were very clear. When asked “ Do you think it is reasonable that students have to change in the locker rooms downstairs for gym class?” 22 out of 28 people said it was unreasonable. One girl brought up another point when she said, “ I don’t think it’s reasonable. We only have a 36 minute class since we get 7 minutes to change. That is barely anytime to get a good workout. I would rather have 2 minutes to change and be able to change on the Fifth Floor. That means a class that’s ten minutes longer.” So, it seems another locker or changing room would make changing convenient for students as well as give the P.E. department more time to teach students. When asked, “ Do you change in the bathrooms?” 18 out of 28 people said they do. The next question asked was, “ Do you think detention is too harsh a punishment for changing in the bathrooms?” 25 out of 28 people said they believed detention was too harsh a punishment. One student said, “ Yes I think it is too harsh a punishment. As long as you are changing in a stall you’re not doing anything wrong.” For the most important question, “ Would you like another set of locker rooms on the fifth/fourth floor?” 24 out of 28 people said they would. One person even wrote “YES PLEASE!” underlining the world please. There we have it. Majority of students don’t agree with the rules about changing in the bathrooms and are desperately begging for another set of locker rooms. The only question now is where can they be made? We talked to more teachers to hear their side of the story. Mr. Greer said, “The science rooms will be being moved to the middle school.” The date for that plan is not set in stone but approximately January of 2012 is the date being looked at. He suggested that with that space, “maybe a small set of changing rooms could be made with the space available after the moving of the classrooms.” That idea seems like a great one! However, another view was brought up when I talked to Mr. Graf and Mr. Windus. Mr. Graf said, “ The idea of changing rooms has been proposed to me. “ When I  asked both about the idea of using the space on the fourth floor after the classrooms were moved. Mr. Graf said, “ I’m not sure if using the space with nice natural light for changing rooms is the best idea, but we’ll see.” Mr. Windus agreed with that, and said, “ Using that space for classrooms might be a better idea.” He jokingly said, “Going down to the basement is not that bad, after all it is gym class!” Supporting the student cause, Ms. McCarthy said, “ I think a locker room would be a great idea!” While the teachers may have differing opinions, students are behind the idea 100%.]]>

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  • J

    jbucciero11Jan 10, 2011 at 9:47 pm

    Not the stalls, then, but the halls!

    Reply
  • B

    bhennessyDec 20, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    Word, Tiffany Kovacs!

    Reply
  • T

    tkovacsDec 14, 2010 at 8:55 pm

    The problem is that people are changing in the stalls making others wait or have to go to another bathroom, because someone is using the stall to change (or even if they are using the bathroom they are taking up more time by changing making it unfair for someone who needs to go). So its not really a problem with changing out of the stalls but rather because people change in them…

    Reply
  • J

    jbucciero11Dec 13, 2010 at 9:32 pm

    True, Nick. But I maintain that I’d like to live in a society in which if you walk in on someone changing, you don’t scoff or yell or cover your eyes but rather start up a nice conversation as they remove their clothing comfortably–and then carry on with your day as if nothing out of the ordinary took place.

    Reply
  • N

    nweissDec 12, 2010 at 10:33 pm

    I also agree that people should be allowed to change in bathrooms, but the issue is really that people come in and see you changing. If people can change quick enough in the bathroom, no one will ever notice!

    Reply
  • J

    jbucciero11Dec 12, 2010 at 4:27 pm

    We don’t even need locker rooms up there. We just need to be allowed to change in any and all bathrooms. Bathrooms are essentially smaller locker rooms, after all. And I think we should all be comfortable enough with each other to be able to change in front of our fellow Latin-ites. Call me a free spirit, but I just don’t see anything wrong with changing clothes in the pseudo privacy the bathrooms provide.

    Reply
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Locker Rooms on the Fifth Floor, Please?