Tower Watch

Laney Tower documents persistent infrastructure issues on Peralta campuses.

The men’s bathroom in the E building is in disarray, as are other men’s bathrooms. Graffiti lines the walls and the toilet paper holders do not secure the paper.

In previous issues of the Laney Tower, our staff has photographed and documented the various maintenance and infrastructural issues that Laney College has faced. We did this in each issue, briefly but consistently, in a feature called “Tower Watch.”

Last year, we decided to retire the feature, giving the space over to stories and photographs about other issues across the district and the Bay Area at large.

However, the problems have become yet again so persistent that we feel it’s important to give them the large amount of coverage they deserve. After all, some of us never use Laney’s bathrooms at all, and have no idea what they look like.

The emergency police call button in the women’s bathroom on the second floor of the E building is also broken.

Thus, we hope these photographs give our readers a vivid understanding of what it’s like to attend a school so dramatically under-maintained.

We urge you to speak out alongside us about the systemic issues that lead to maintenance staff not getting the support they need, and students not getting the campus they deserve.

We are also aware that the Laney Tower serves more than one college: our audience includes the four Peralta campuses and the tens of thousands of students who visit them daily.

We hope that this feature and the Tower Watches that we will include in future issues will encourage students to send us pictures and information about what we need to be on the watch for around all four Peralta campuses.

The women’s bathroom on the second floor of the E building sports a leak in the ceiling that needs a tarp and a hose to keep the occupants of the first stall dry. The sink is also broken.

Please email us at:
laneytower@peralta.edu