Toilets in Bancroft

fifi5

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Jul 26, 2015
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Does anybody know why the rooms in Bancroft do not have toilets? They have showers and sinks so the plumbing is there. Is it the obvious? Clogging and place to flush contriband? Or is their some storied history? Do the other academies have toilets in the rooms? Obviously this has no play in DS decision but I am curious and forgot to ask at CVW. Thank you for the info! Can be great trivia at parties!
 
Showers? WP barracks have a sink in each room, no showers or toilets. Rooms are generally 3-4 cadets per room (at least for Plebes & Yearlings).
 
Could the smell have anything to do with it? The rooms are small enough that there will be no escaping the odor.
 
The rooms really aren't big enough. In the old configurations of the rooms (before the renovations in late 90s - early 2000s) the showers and sinks were in the corner and opened directly into the room. The wall they built during the reno sort of separates them is nice. The rooms have never had them.
 
Bancroft Hall's first wings were built just after the turn of the century into 20th, likely without even the sinks and showers. Those were probably retrofitted some years later, jamming them in. No place to add a toilet stall unless a rack is removed, for most rooms, and space is at a premium. Since mids do their own room cleaning, keeping toilets sanitary on a daily basis would be a time-eater and not a factor that would feature in a recruiting film. Janitorial staff maintains the common bathrooms to government contract standards.
 
I thought the reason was that the plebes were just immune to the uncouth bodily functions of the common man. ;)
 
I thought the reason was that the plebes were just immune to the uncouth bodily functions of the common man. ;)

USMCGrunt - Marines still have open bay barracks? I know this horrifies our AF brethren, unless it's a myth they don't have them, or got rid of them long before other services. At OCS in Newport, when I was there, common bathrooms, nothing in room, two OCs/room. May have been renovated to higher standards by now. AF always sets the bar high for service member accommodations.
 
The other way of looking at this (from a Marine's perspective) is... They have a sink and shower? What else is necessary?
Just sayin' :biglaugh:

(sorry, looking for some levity. It's a rough night as I sit and watch the Cubs going down in flames!)
 
CGA rooms have racks, desks, drawers and closets.... Have to walk down the pway for everything else (teaches you bladder control as a 4/c I can promise you that!)
 
USMCGrunt - Marines still have open bay barracks? I know this horrifies our AF brethren, unless it's a myth they don't have them, or got rid of them long before other services. At OCS in Newport, when I was there, common bathrooms, nothing in room, two OCs/room. May have been renovated to higher standards by now. AF always sets the bar high for service member accommodations.

Squad bays I think are gone from the fleet (training command is obviously a slightly different story). Living quarters for Marines can vary pretty dramatically: the Marines in my squadron/at my MCAS have relatively new barracks in good condition that are equivalent to a college dorm. Nothing swanky, but nice enough. POG/wing units seem to have generally better conditions and a higher standard of living than grunts but that's just an anecdotal observation.
Over PROTRAMID, they shoved us mids into a terrible barracks that resembled a Gulag encampment. Mold, bugs, animals, mysterious stains on all the mattresses, whole nine yards. It was about to get torn down but Marines had been living in it only a month or so before we got there. I remember walking up to the building and seeing a weasel walk out of the door with a dead squirrel in its mouth. Nature!
 
Thank you! Great conversation considering that my DS' friends who have no interest in military are actually picking their colleges based on nice dorm rooms!! Fun topic for a stressful time. Anybody seen Generation Kill? Having a s*^& ing box was a luxury!
 
Hurricane is spot on. I believe Pendleton had the last open squad bays and there was a huge push to get rid of those. A lot of them were some of the units that were pretty far away from some of the larger areas of the base. They have redone and also built new barracks and chow halls all over Pendleton. Of course you will still find open squad bays in lots of training environments.
 
Hurricane12 and NavyHoops: What about Okinawa? Have they built new barracks at Camp Hansen also?
 
USMCGrunt - Marines still have open bay barracks? I know this horrifies our AF brethren, unless it's a myth they don't have them, or got rid of them long before other services. At OCS in Newport, when I was there, common bathrooms, nothing in room, two OCs/room. May have been renovated to higher standards by now. AF always sets the bar high for service member accommodations.

Squad bays I think are gone from the fleet (training command is obviously a slightly different story). Living quarters for Marines can vary pretty dramatically: the Marines in my squadron/at my MCAS have relatively new barracks in good condition that are equivalent to a college dorm. Nothing swanky, but nice enough. POG/wing units seem to have generally better conditions and a higher standard of living than grunts but that's just an anecdotal observation.
Over PROTRAMID, they shoved us mids into a terrible barracks that resembled a Gulag encampment. Mold, bugs, animals, mysterious stains on all the mattresses, whole nine yards. It was about to get torn down but Marines had been living in it only a month or so before we got there. I remember walking up to the building and seeing a weasel walk out of the door with a dead squirrel in its mouth. Nature!

Similar experience at Fort Lewis...builds character.
 
"Marines still have open bay barracks? "
What about open bay toilets Corps used to have, zero privacy. I can still remember when Captain came in and sat down next to me at old Camp Upsher, looked at me and said "bombs away" as he let his work begin. Awkward does not even begin to describe it.
 
I was at Hansen just a few years ago. I don't believe it had any open squad bags left, but could be wrong. That base actually has had some upgrades in the gym, PX, food court. Was much better than when I was stationed on the island prior to that. Camp Upsher sort of still falls into that training environment where a lot of those things still exist. Also still see it a lot at 29 Palms for what used to be called CAX or whatever it has been renamed.
 
They normally aren't in there. Most college dorms (including my high school dorm), don't have a toilet inside of there. Military colleges/high schools do this because we have to keep our rooms clean, and with the time that we have (which isn't really much!), toilets would probably prevent us from getting some time to relax for at least ten seconds.
 
Does anybody know why the rooms in Bancroft do not have toilets? They have showers and sinks so the plumbing is there. Is it the obvious? Clogging and place to flush contriband? Or is their some storied history? Do the other academies have toilets in the rooms? Obviously this has no play in DS decision but I am curious and forgot to ask at CVW. Thank you for the info! Can be great trivia at parties!

Party trivia.... OK. During my first tour in USS America (now sunk off the VACAPES as a fish habitat), 4 of us, junior officers and all USNA '68 grads, shared a bunkroom. 1 ( one) sink. The head with showers was several frames down the passageway. Through the kneeknockers.
We slept when we could... Airplanes landing on our heads :)
 
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