The City College of New York; Writing for Engineering
Prof. Adam Bubrow
04/02/2019
Second page: Introduction to topic.
Third page: How Germs are Spread
Fourth and Fifth page: The Students’ Voice & Request for Change
Sixth page: How possible Counter-arguments were Avoided
Seventh page: Financial Analysis
Eighth and ninth page: Action Plan
Ninth to eleventh page: Bios
Eleventh page: Conclusion
Twelfth page: References
Thirteenth page: Appendix
Introduction-
This proposal is in regards to the students of CCNY request for renovation in the restrooms of the North Academic Center (NAC), specifically the faucets. The City College of New York is a part of the world’s largest urban university, consisting of 16,000 of CUNY’s 200,000 students. As being a commuter school, the majority of attendants and staff commute by The New York City Subway to go to school. The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system that covers a daily ridership of a staggering 5.7 million people, traveling to mostly Manhattan according to mta.info. Due to this extraordinary mass of people in such a small area, the transferring of harmful germs and bacteria is inevitable. As City College is in the densest borough of the greatest city in the world, it is crucial to provide a highly sanitary environment for all members of The City College of New York. Unfortunately, these conditions are not being meant throughout the campus of CCNY, particularly the restrooms. The number of germs being spread as a consequence of the poor consideration towards the currently unhygienic faucet handles is outright unacceptable and we, the students of CCNY, urge for the Offices of Facilities Management to take action in changing this faulty matter. We support an initiative to change these manual faucets to those with automatic sensors, the faucets we deserve and those that every single CUNY college division has already acquired.
How Germs are Transferred-
According to Anna Snelling’s study at The University of Bradford, effective hand drying is integral for preventing the transfer of germs on surfaces such as doorknobs and handles. She goes on to indicate that the primary cause of transferring such germs is because of the mixing between a hand’s germs and the water, which is then, unfortunately, on handles/door knobs if not properly dried, (Snelling, A. Sacille, T. Stevens, D. Beggs, C; 2010). Hence, the situation of the manual faucet handles in CCNY is at its worse, being that it is not only manual but also must be held on during the entire washing period. This problem goes on to force the spread of germs as students struggle to wash one hand at a time, wetting the faucet lever with each contaminated hand.
According to a study conducted by The International Journal of Environmental Health Research, HuNoV infections and other microbial pathogens are easily spread through physical surfaces throughout public restrooms. Most of the times it is the case when the simple act of flushing a toilet may release microorganisms into the air, which then has the ability to stick on surfaces around it. “flushing a toilet can result in droplet production that when released into the air can deposit micro-organisms onto bathroom surfaces (Barker and Jones 2005),” (Leonea, C. Tanga, C. Sharp, J. Jianga, X. Frasera, A.). This just goes on to indicate the appropriate attention and care educational establishments should give their restrooms to guarantee their students well-being.
The Students’ Voice and Requests for Change-
This problem dwells further than the simple, but significant, health issues it brings with it. The City College of New York promises to keep student life comfortable and takes pride in “delivering quality care and health” to all of their students (SHS department CCNY). If this is so, why are the most contaminated areas of the building not being treated as such? The City College of New York has a responsibility to ensure the well-being of its members. Fifty students were asked on how they feel with the condition of CCNY’s faucets, fig. 1, and a minimal number of students had anything positive to say. Only two of these students ranked their school’s faucets above a 4 out of 5, while the vast majority, 96% of these students, feels uncomfortable while washing their hands in these bathrooms. Unfortunately, as a result of this feeling, it may be that some would not even bother to wash their hands altogether, causing an even larger issue in the student’s well-being. A great percentage of students even anonymously agreed when asked if the restrooms of McDonald’s is more comfortable than CCNY solely because of the faucets. The idea that a fast-food chain’s public restrooms are cleaner than an esteemed educational establishment is absurd and should never be the case. When the same students were asked if they want the faucets to be replaced, fig. 2, 94% chose “Yes” The City College of New York faculty needs to fulfill its duty by maintaining a safe and healthy environment while ensuring student life is comfortable.
Another study shows the dangers of doorknobs in bathrooms. “It is likely that these internal door handles can become contaminated with pathogens when handled by multiple people following potentially unhygienic activities. Due to frequent use, cross-contamination may occur particularly when frequent breakdowns occur in hand hygiene,” (Young, H. Plumb, Z. Stevenson, J; 2015). Faucets at CCNY are at high risk of cross-contamination, especially when students feel uncomfortable cleaning their hands, to begin with. This awkwardness in hand washing will lead to improper washing, increasing the risks of cross-contamination exponentially. Albeit the study shows results from doorknobs, manual faucets at CCNY are just as hazardous, if not worse. The doorknob is the last thing a person would touch after already having washed his/her hand. However, this does not prove as dangerous as the CCNY’s common faucet, being touched before, during, and after the hand is washed. Allowing germs to be transferred on the wet faucet for a person after person over again.
Fig. 1: Fifty CCNY students were asked on how comfortable they were with the CCNY faucets from a scale of 1-5
Fig. 2: Fifty CCNY students were asked if they would want to replace the faucets in their restrooms.
How We Avoided Possible Counterarguments-
To eliminate any bias in sample selection, roughly balanced gender distribution was conducted in order to ensure that everyone’s opinion in regards to their restroom area was taken into account. In refutation towards a possible counter-argument, we verified whether the volunteers were germaphobe or not. The results would have been deemed as invalid if we were to only ask a generally germaphobic sample on their views of this matter; however, the results were shown otherwise, fig. 3. A majority of volunteers identified as not being a germaphobe at all, fig. 4, thus strengthening our cause. The fact that the volunteers were not germaphobic at all and yet still see the conditions mentioned as unacceptable shows the greatness of this problem.
Fig. 3: The percentage of both male and female volunteers in the survey, in order to get an overall view of all CCNY faucets. (M=red; F=blue)
Fig. 4: The percentage of germaphobes asked in the survey
Financial Analysis:
| Table 1- This table shows the number of restrooms and faucets per floor. Total overhaul cost is also compared with the economical option of one new faucet per restroom. |
Two potential methods will make this necessary proposal pass. The most economical option, table 1, guarantees that every floor will receive at least one automatic sensor faucet per restroom area. This initial step provides a minimal amount of the essential equipment we, the students, need. The total cost of this minimum plan is at $11,123.14, after tax. The complete overhaul plan covers all 116 faucets throughout the NAC building, replacing these faucets with the Standard Chicago automatic faucet. As shown in table 1, the total overhaul price is costly compared with the less expensive plan, costing at $76,272.96, after tax. This plan assures everyone has access to all automatic faucets in those cases when the restrooms are full to the brim.
After careful observation and description of the importance of this matter, it is time for The City College of New York to take action. According to the financial analysis listed in table 1, approximately 80,000 dollars are needed before tax to renovate all faucets in the North Academic Center completely. As stated before, the cheapest plan only covers one new faucet per bathroom.
One way we will execute this plan is by increasing our tuition by $1.00 per credit. Under this approach, we would have a minimum of $200,000, taking into account the population of CCNY is at 16,000 students, to renovate the entire NAC building’s faucets fully; however, students’ must know that this extra money is going towards the renovation of NAC’s faucets. According to the survey results, the students of CCNY explicitly support this improvement of the NAC building, hence, if even half the students of CCNY are willing to help such a cause we will still have more money than necessary to buy the faucets after taxes.
The benefit of this installation does not only help the sanitary matters in campus life but also saves the college money in the long run. After patiently observing the water usage between the first (automatic) and fifth (manual) floor in NAC, it was discovered that manual faucets were running on an average of 20 seconds per wash, in contrast to 8 seconds with the automatic faucets in the first floor. Hence, CCNY will still profit from this improvement even if some is lost in the beginning. That being said, let’s go into the second approach of this initiative.
Applying the more economical plan, otherwise known as the cheaper and slower approach. Renovating only one faucet per restroom will be much less costly than the complete plan; consequently, this approach would not be as effective as quick. However, such a plan is deemed more practical due to all restrooms being open during renovation. It is possible enough to have light construction while students have access to other sinks. Under this approach, CCNY will only have to spend a fraction of the money it would have under the complete overhaul plan. Applying one faucet per bathroom will then allow students to have minimal access to these faucets. After a year of using automatic faucets, CCNY will save as much money needed to continue with renovating more faucets throughout the campus.
Experiences/Bios-
Aldo is currently a freshman at The City College of New York, who wants to pursue a career in computer engineering. His interest in computers started when he first had to open the case of his computer to find out what was causing so many issues. Not having any knowledge in computer hardware he decided to learn more about it on his own. After building his computer, his interest in this field only grew. His second interest lies in video games; therefore, he incorporated his knowledge in computers to buy the hardware needed for a computer to be able to run a game. He often says that his favorite and strongest subject is math when he compares the other topics. Understanding that this major is math intensive, Aldo is ready to take on the challenge that awaits him.
Leonel is a freshman at The City College of New York who is pursuing a career in Computer Science. He started to find interest in computer science when he took a C++, computer language, course in high school and enjoyed it. Even though he found it very tough and frustrating, he enjoyed the feeling of solving a code and getting it to work. Leo graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx. Leo also enjoys playing soccer and video games during his free time. He played soccer in high school and will play for the City College soccer team this upcoming fall. As much work as Computer Science must be, Leo is ready to take the courses and take any challenge that comes his way.
Currently a freshman at The City College of New York, Mohammed Alazazi has always despised the sinks at his university. His current major is Civil Engineering in The Grove School of Engineering; however, he did initially declare his major as biomedical engineering before his current major. Mr. Alazazi graduated from a small high school in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn, NY with interest in a career in the maths and sciences. Being involved in a few clubs and architectural classes did help him narrow down his passion for engineering. Although a majority of his clubs weren’t math/engineered centered, these clubs allowed him to avoid a few potential career choices outside of the STEM field he would not have enjoyed. Albeit he envisioned himself to be an engineer, the particular area of engineering was ambiguous to him. His epiphany came about while taking a BME 10100 class while simultaneously working in construction with his father during his first semester in college. This realization allowed him to understand that a career as a Civil Engineer is much more appropriate to him rather than a researcher with a Biomedical Engineering Degree.
An aspiring mechanical engineer attending The Grove School of Engineering at The City College of New York, Saif Khan always had a passion for the ways things are built, and how they can be improved. He graduated from Hillcrest High School, which is a well-reputed school with a diverse set of programs such as Pre Med and Humanities located in Queens, New York. Considering Saif always had an eye on what could be better around him, attending the City College of New York was no exception, as he views the bathroom sinks in the North Academic Center as being unacceptable and downright disgusting. He knows all too well that the past cannot be expected to perform efficiently with modern day expectations, and while some sinks are still functional, they are ancient! Saif strongly believes and calls for a change.
Tony Lin is currently a freshman studying in The City College of New York. While Tony is not usually a germaphobe, he becomes one when he uses the restroom of his university. Being a student under the Grove School of Engineering, Tony selected Electrical Engineering to be his field of specialization. As a child, Tony had always wanted to be an engineer, as the idea of tinkering with mechanical parts has intrigued him greatly. While Tony has not joined any clubs, he aspires to join any club and association related to his field of study. Tony hopes to graduate with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering, focusing on hardware.
Conclusion:
After the continuous research, analysis, and surveys, the point still proves valid: a change has to occur with our faucets and automatic faucets is a priority needed to be taken seriously. Not only for the ease of washing your hands more effective but to also reduce the amount of germs being spread and to use water more efficiently. The vast majority of students feel uncomfortable washing their hands with CCNY’s current faucets, not even mentioning the fact that some students felt more comfortable washing their hands in Mcdonald’s, which only makes our situation worse. Change needs to occur; A high majority, 94%, of students who were surveyed agreed, and with the help of students we can make the bathrooms a much cleaner and better place.
References:
Annual subway ridership. Retrieved from
Frasera, A. Leonea, C. Jianga, X. Sharp, J. Tanga, C. (2016). Presence of human noroviruses on
bathroom surfaces: a review of the literature.
Snelling, A. (2010). Comparative evaluation of the hygienic efficacy of an ultra‐rapid hand
dryer vs conventional warm air hand dryers. Pg. 2.
Plumb, Z. Stevenson, J. Young, H. (2015). Chlorhexidine to Maintain Cleanliness of Restroom
Door Handles. Pg.
Appendix:
(Fig. 3, gender distribution) (Fig, 1) (Fig. 4) (Fig. 2)
Table 1 Information (Males Only on Left)
