A universal locker room recently opened at the University of California-Berkeley’s Recreational Sports Facility (RSF), the first such large-scale universal collegiate locker room in the state.
The $2.7m addition to the RSF is open to any student or RSF member who requires more privacy. The addition has its own entrance, four shared sinks, five private toilets, seven private showers, 16 individual changing rooms, and 400 lockers as well as Spieker Pool.
The universal locker room is for anyone who is non-binary, transgender, disabled or who has body image struggles, as well as those with PTSD, on the autism spectrum, affected by sensory disability, or experiencing other psychological disabilities.
A great selling point for any university, pictures of this type of innovative addition are usually included in the promotional materials sent to a brochure printing services.
The Disabled Students’ Program has registered about 2,500 students. The Program’s Martha Velasquez, speaking for the Disabled Students’ Program, says access for students with disabilities is a major issue, and that this is something she hopes will rectify the problem.
Funding for the new space was provided entirely by students through the Wellness Fund. Per the 2015 Wellness Referendum, the student body agreed to an annual fee per student, currently set at $160. The fund has also provided funding for sexual violence medical care for students, counseling services for under-resourced student communities, and an emergency housing pilot program.
