When first-year student Nour Yousfi `29 arrived at Grinnell College from Florida, she expected the usual challenges of adjusting to a new campus.
What she didn’t expect was the absence of something she considered essential — access to a bidet.
As an Algerian Muslim, using water for hygiene is mandatory for her five daily prayers. For Yousfi, a lack of access to bidets was a disruption to a deeply ingrained part of her daily life.
“It was a hard reality check,” Yousfi said. “I would carry a portable squeeze bottle with me when I travel, so it’s supposed to be temporary. But this is supposed to be my home. It’s a big hassle just to do something as simple as comfortably using the bathroom.”
Rather than adapting to the inconvenience, Yousfi decided to act. Within her first weeks on campus, she began reaching out to administrators to explore whether bidets could be installed in residence halls.
“I was like, ‘You know what, I’m in Grinnell College, and it’s a place where people make changes everywhere, so why can’t I do this?’” she said.
Yousfi first contacted Megan Baldree in Student Affairs.
Baldree referred her to Rabbi Sarah Brammer-Shlay at the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Social Justice (CRSSJ), where the idea began to take shape.
“I went to Rabbi Sarah and brought it up, and I stated the whole spiel — what the problem is, why I want this and what we should do,” Yousfi said.
The result was the installation of the first bidet in the women’s bathroom in Cleveland Hall during the fall 2025 semester. But for Yousfi, that initial success was only a starting point.
“I just wanted to see if they could install the first one first,” she said. “Then I could say, okay, let’s do a whole operation.”
Facilities Management expanded the project over winter break, installing 19 additional bidets across campus residence halls.
Today, bidets are available in every residence hall except Norris Hall, which faces plumbing limitations. To manage costs, the installations were primarily placed in gender-neutral bathrooms rather than duplicating them across all facilities.
“If you put it in the women’s bathroom, you also need to do it in the men’s bathroom, which doubles the number,” Yousfi said. “We’re starting this way first and then adding more over time.”
While the project began as a personal need, Yousfi said its impact extends far beyond her own experience.
“It’s not just religious, it’s cultural too,” she said. “So many cultures use bidets.”
Yousfi said bidets have broader benefits, including accessibility and environmental impact.
“It also helps people with disabilities and people who menstruate,” she said. “It’s cleaner, more refreshing and environmentally friendly. People use less toilet paper that way.”
Yousfi prioritized in-person meetings and consistent follow-ups when navigating the administrative process.
“The key is persistence — just don’t give up,” she said. “It was tiring, it was exhausting, but I wanted it so badly that I wasn’t giving up.”
Looking ahead, Yousfi said she plans to expand the initiative beyond residence halls.
“My next step is academic buildings,” she said. “Because who wants to go out in an Iowa blizzard just to use the bathroom?”
For Yousfi, the project reflects how student advocacy can affect many others.
“When you want something, you can ask for a small portion first, see how that goes, then expand,” she said. “Like with the bidets, it’s one reason, religious accommodation, but it benefits so many people. One point can connect to many needs.”
