The UofM physical plant has placed placards in almost 90 percent of campus restrooms as part of an initiative to improve their cleanliness. The placards have QR codes and URL links displayed on them so students and faculty can complete a customer satisfaction survey.
The University of Memphis Physical Plant is attempting to improve the cleanliness of campus restrooms, but they need help from students and faculty.
The plant has placed placards above soap dispensers in almost every restroom on campus, approximately 90 percent, according to Ron Brooks, assistant vice president of the Physical Plant.
“The goal of the placard initiative is to get customer feedback, so that we can identify the worst restrooms on campus,†Brooks said. “This will enable us to prioritize which restrooms need the most work and channel our resources accordingly.â€
The physical plant has decided to act on restroom quality, having been inundated with complaints from their employees for several years now.
 “Our employees receive complaints from students and have wanted a restroom maintenance program put in place for years,†Brooks said. “No matter how much they clean the old tile from the 1950s they are not going to get it any cleaner--the lighting in there also makes them appear dirtier than they actually are.â€
The Physical Plant at the UofM handles all operations and maintenance of the physical facilities and the landscaping on campus.
The plant has asked students and faculty to complete a six-question survey about their restroom experience each time they visit a campus restroom so that the plant can improve the facilities and service provided.
The survey’s six questions are as follows: Was the facility clean and fresh? Was the lighting adequate? Did you have adequate tissue/towels? Was the water flow and temperature satisfactory? Did all fixtures function properly? And, overall, was this a good experience for you? Students and faculty have three answer choices on the survey for each question, ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ and ‘needs improvement.’
Buckeye International is one of the plant’s main suppliers and offered the placard program for free. The data from students’ and faculty’s input is sent to the Buckeye International cloud and the plant has not received all the survey information back yet.
Ron Brooks said the preliminary data shows some restrooms on campus are in very good shape but others are not. Brooks stated the main reason for these inconsistencies was the plant having a large amount of deferred maintenance.
“We are trying to get through a few hiccups in the software, so we haven’t got any real data just yet,†Brooks said.Â
UofM student Will Suggs said restroom quality varies from building to building and he would like to see some items restocked in a more timely fashion.
“The bathrooms are normally fine, but there are times when it seems like it takes forever for soap and paper towels to be restocked,†Suggs said.
