Date: January 12, 2026
For the month of January, the Dean’s Commentary will feature text by VTS & GTS faculty members writing about what they are currently teaching, reading, or writing about.
With the campus returning to its normal pace after the Christmas break, you might notice that the Gender Neutral bathroom in Scott Lounge has been reconverted to a Men’s room.
Over the years, VTS has endeavored to design and/or retrofit bathrooms so that everyone feels comfortable and safe using them. All of the other buildings such as the Chapel, Addison, Aspinwall, and Descendants Hall now have Gender Neutral bathrooms. Only Scott Lounge currently has bathrooms marked exclusively for “Men” and “Women” as the only available option.
Originally we thought that designing a Gender Neutral bathroom in Scott Lounge would be fairly straightforward and we were optimistic that we could move ahead quickly. When this proved not to be the case, the decision was made to change the signage and install an occupancy lock. As it happens, that solution didn’t work. The architecture didn’t provide adequate privacy and the locking system wasn’t user friendly.
So we are beginning in 2026 to reconsider the options again. Because the current piping design is complex, the floor is concrete, the walls are support walls, and the size of the Refectory demands that we have adequate facilities for the licensed occupancy, we will need to meet with an architect and draw up a new design before the Board can make a decision on next steps. I do wish that the process was easier and quicker, but we are moving ahead in an attempt to provide dignified bathroom facilities for all.
Melody D. Knowles, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Virginia Theological Seminary and The General Theological Seminary