Donate to a college, name a bathroom stall

It's a "cheeky" way to donate to your alma mater. And it seems to be taking off.

At Dixie State College of Utah, a donor could name a bathroom stall in the theatre building for $2,000. Despite the innovative fundraising idea, the St. George Musical Theater went out of business, in part due to a shortage of "lavatory sponsorships."

That doesn't mean that bathroom-stall donations aren't alive and well in the college-fundraising scene. If anything, the Dixie State College story made us aware of bathrooms everywhere.

Elsewhere in Utah, at Utah Valley University, Ron and Terri Lindorf paid $20,000 to name two bathrooms—a men's and a women' —in a new science building.

"The idea made me laugh," Lindorf wrote to the Daily Harold, saying he first heard of bathroom-naming rights in Forbes.

"I thought I would [name a bathroom] some day if I had money to give."

And thanks to a donor funding a bathroom renovation at the University of Pennsylvania's campus library, plaques on the walls read: "The relief you are now experiencing is made possible by a gift from Michael Zinman."

At Harvard, there's the Falik Men's Room, named for William Falik who donated $100,000 to his alma mater. (Yes, Falik is pronounced 'phallic.' See a photo of the plaque here.)

"We thought it was kind of tongue in-cheek and we were willing to do it," said Steven Oliveira, Harvard Law's dean for development and alumni relations.

Venture capitalist Brad Feld donated $25,000 for the rights to name a bathroom at the University of Colorado's Boulder science building. Inside Higher Ed reports that he "visits his masterpiece of plumbing every couple of months and occasionally checks in there on foursquare."

"It wasn't something where we sat down and said, 'Gee, let's provide naming opportunities for bathrooms,'" said John Bennett, director of the university's Alliance for Technology, Learning & Society. "But I'm not the least bit embarrassed if that's what it takes to support programs."