The University of Rhode Island’s lack of locking doors on dormitory shower stalls has left students with safety concerns.
Previous Cigar reporting has indicated that communal bathrooms in Adams, Hillside, Peck and Butterfield halls lack locking shower stall doors. Instead, bathrooms have two sets of curtains separating shower users from the rest of the bathroom. There are also gender neutral bathrooms, like in Butterfield and Adams, that lack locking doors.
URI is unique in this. Providence College, Salve Regina University and Rhode Island College all have locking doors on their shower stalls, according to various social media posts and resident hall floorplans, including within suite style dorms with private bathrooms. Bathrooms in suite-style dorms at URI, such as Hopkins or Wiley, do not have shower stalls protected by locking doors.
URI chose to use two curtains rather than locking doors to balance accessibility, privacy and maintenance, according to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Living Thomas Cooley. The use of two curtains complies with “longstanding health and safety and accessibility standards,” Cooley said.
American Disability Act compliant unisex bathing rooms must have “privacy latches and contain a shower, or a shower and tub, a lavatory and a water closet,” according to the U.S. Access Board Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards. The guide does not specify where those latches need to be located or if they must be on the shower stall itself.
Previous Cigar reporting has found that some students are uncomfortable with the lack of privacy the curtains afford, while others don’t see an issue. An unnamed pair of residents in Adams Hall felt the “flimsy curtains” did not appropriately replace a locking door.
A poll conducted by Housing and Residential Life in the fall of 2024 found that 80% of students living on campus were “moderately to extremely satisfied with their HRL experience, with even higher satisfaction related to safety and security,” according to Cooley.
The university considers student safety while designing residence halls, according to Cooley. Each area is designed to maximize use, while still maintaining a level of comfort.
“Student safety is always foundational to every design and operational decision the university makes,” Cooley said.
The university also plans to update bathrooms while renovating residence halls as part of the 20-year comprehensive plan. Bathroom upgrades are discussed as part of URI’s capital planning regularly, according to Cooley. Designs are based on building codes and “best practices,” Cooley said.
University bathroom design has been under scrutiny since an unnamed student filed a lawsuit against URI in August over an incident inside an Adams Hall bathroom. Resident hall bathroom design was mentioned in the lawsuit alleging that the shower stalls are “not private, have no locks and are not secure.”
Data from URI’s Clery Report, a yearly report the university is required to make concerning violence on campus, found that eight rapes and three cases of fondling were reported in 2024. All eight rapes occurred inside residence halls, but the report does not specify where inside those halls.
“Any report of a privacy or safety concern is taken seriously,” Cooley said.
Students that experience any issues inside their residence halls are encouraged to contact their resident advisors, hall directors, HRL directly or file a work order, depending on the circumstances.
