You asked:

The community bathroom is always disgusting. It seems like almost everyone on the hall is grossed out, but no one does anything about it. What can I do?

Community living presents challenges to everyone living on the hall. Chances are, you’re not the only one thinking about this situation -- but you can be the one who does something about it. The sooner you act, the sooner the issue will be resolved (hopefully, before it gets any worse). There are a few ways to approach a gross bathroom situation:

• First, is there a dorm housekeeper who regularly cleans the bathroom? A housekeeper usually takes care of basic housekeeping, while your community is responsible for general cleanliness. If you think this is something your housekeeper should be doing, let your R.A. know or contact the housekeeping boss to voice this concern. If it’s something everyone should be helping out with, here are a few ways to address it to your community …

• Ask your R.A. to hold a community meeting to address the concern. If this is an ongoing problem, maybe everyone needs to discuss how the community should be responsible for keeping bathrooms clean. Remember that the point of this meeting is to find a solution for everyone on the dorm. (This works really well for other issues that affect the community as well, such as noise complaints, dirty common spaces and community respect.)

• Don’t call out individuals on your hall. To fix a situation, communication is critical -- but pointing fingers helps no one. People are usually more willing to step up if you pose possible solutions to the problem. Essentially, all you have to say is “Hey, has anyone else noticed that the bathroom is kinda gross? Let’s all agree to keep it clean by …”

• Make a community standards flyer, pass it around, and post it near the area. Community standards are just ground rules that the entire community agrees to follow. You could create a community standard that reads, “Remove your stray hair from the showers” and, “Clean makeup off the sinks before you leave.”

• Post friendly reminders. Since the community standards might seem a little corporate, posting polite signs around the bathroom will be a gentle nudge to clean up. For example, you could have a fun, colorful (and probably laminated) reminder by the bathroom stall: “If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat.” It’s a simple, friendly -- and, OK, maybe a little cliché -- reminder.

• Set a good example. Of course, be sure to clean up after yourself -- perhaps others will follow suit. General cleanliness is everyone’s responsibility, and you can begin to address that by acting on it. Everyone uses it, and everyone should leave the bathroom looking better than the way they found it.

• Tell your RA about maintenance issues, such as clogged toilets, slow shower drains, leaky faucets, burnt-out lights and other big concerns, so he or she can address it with the proper authority.

Name: Sarah Arsenoff
School: UNC Wilmington
Year: Senior
Major: Marine Biology
Her Deal: This is Sarah's third year as an R.A. for freshmen and international students. She writes for Periplus, a university newsletter for students who, like her, are in the honors scholars program.

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