Exposé lifts lid on toilet paper inequality at Toronto university

University students often have to deal with subpar items to survive: Ramen noodles, cheap coffee and crappy one-ply toilet paper.

But a journalism student at Toronto’s Ryerson University discovered in certain washrooms on campus, rather than “translucent, gotta-fold-it-thirteen-times one-ply” toilet paper, there was decadent two-ply. This included washrooms near the office of the university’s president.

Third-year student Laura Woodward exposed the two-tier toilet paper turpitude in an article in this week’s edition of The Eyeopener student paper.

Woodward, 20, noticed some two-ply toilet paper with some janitorial supplies in February 2014 and it piqued her curiosity.

She began looking for it in washrooms, but only found the one-ply. She started asking questions of university staff about where the two-ply toilet paper was going, but didn’t get any answers.

“I find when people are … holding back, that’s when you know if you have a story,” she said in an interview Friday.

Woodward called toilet paper distributors in Toronto and found one that said it supplied two-ply to the university. She then asked university staff again about the elusive two-ply toilet paper, and they admitted there are some washrooms that get the better stuff.

Before this week’s exposé, the toilet paper in washrooms might not have been the No. 1 — or No. 2 — issue on the minds of Ryerson students, but it has generated interest both on and off campus.

One Twitter user wrote, “As a Ryerson student I can say with all honesty that I have often thought of bringing my own toilet paper to school #TissueIssue.”

The story has been posted several times online, with students and alumni on Facebook and Twitter applauding Woodward for her investigative journalism. She has also fielded several media requests for interviews.

“On Twitter, the reaction is people think this is a first world problem or they think it’s hilarious, but some people take it seriously,” Woodward said.

Upgrading the entire university to two-ply would double the toilet paper budget of $76,104, Woodward reported. Currently, the university spends about $5,500 on two-ply annually.

In light of the report, the university is looking into the possibility of upgrading everyone to the plush two-ply, manager of media relations Michael Forbes said in an email Friday.

“We are researching those costs, which we are mindful of, however some of the plumbing systems in our older buildings cannot accommodate two-ply,” he said.

And while the issue is one that has people talking, Forbes said it would be nice if some of the more serious research being done at the school made headlines, too.

“Our students and faculty do outstanding work that deserves public attention. Just this week we received federal and provincial support to launch a pilot program to keep children in care out of the youth justice system; we have professors designing robots to unlock autism spectrum disorder’s mysteries and others exploring concussion diagnosis through infrared spectroscopy. I wish those stories — especially in light of the people they’re helping — received this level of attention,” he said.

Woodward said she does not have an opinion on whether the university should supply two-ply to everyone, and she agrees there are other great stories happening at the university, but she still thinks it was important students were informed about the toilet paper issue.

“It’s not about toilet paper. It’s about inequality,” she said. “It’s ridiculous it has to be shown in toilet paper, but I don’t think it’s ridiculous to report on inequality.”