The Black and White

by Jillian Mastrostefano

Technology is advancing to make life easier for people’s everyday activities. Going to the bathroom is one of these everyday activities. 

Who would have thought these two would eventually connect?

A public restroom should be used for one thing and one thing only, using the bathroom. Last school year the bathrooms at Pilgrim were messy places to be–unnecessarily long lines, people in every stall, friend meetups, and eventually fist fights. Honest condolences to those who traveled there just to pee. The school was largely aware of this problem, spending the summer contemplating what they could possibly do to fix it. The best idea they came up with? A means called ‘Smart Passes’.

Smart passes can be found on student and teacher computers and are filled out on an online resource app, allowing students to travel to a bathroom, classroom, etc. Smart passes can definitely be found to be an easier and more organized way of fixing the bathroom and hallway crowding, but at what cost? Yes, it only allows a certain number of people in a bathroom at a time, but if it’s full, those who need to go have to wait for someone else to leave first. These smart passes also allow quicker and more efficient access to using the bathrooms by giving students a ten minute limit, but what if their class is farther away than the average? With these time limits it urges students to get back to class on time, but it also makes them feel rushed and anxious. Another thing that makes them feel anxious could be the limited amount of uses set. Only allowed is four trips per day, holding a restricted and confined feel, intimidated to even ask to go. 

The school could argue that these passes make traveling and keeping track of students easier. Sure they do. They allow teachers to send their students places from their own device and let monitors track who’s allowed to be in the halls and who isn’t. But if students and teachers are struggling to even figure out how to use it, who is it really easier for? Is it genuinely easier than just having a teacher write something up on a sticky note? It abolishes forgery, but not interruption, and definitely not speed. 

It could be believed that these passes are a pretty close solution to the problem. But it’s definitely not the best one, and there’s definitely a better one out there. 

For now, let’s normalize being “smart” about our bathroom etiquette.