Trivers Associate Principal Amanda Truemper, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, delivered a presentation at The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) 2025 Annual Conference held in Honolulu July 13-16.
SCUP is a worldwide community of college and university professionals working together to improve higher education through an integrated planning approach. During this year’s annual conference, more than 500 industry leaders, architects, planners and designers participated in four days of presentation sessions and workshops to equip them with the tools and resources necessary to better their institutions.
Alongside co-presenter Seb Choe, associate director at JSA/MIXdesign, Truemper presented “Bridging Diverse Needs Through Inclusive Restroom Design.” The presentation addressed the critical need for inclusive, accessible, all-gender restrooms on higher education campuses and outlined best practices for designing these spaces.
“It was an honor to be able to attend the conference and represent not only Trivers but a firm from the middle of the country,” Truemper said. “It was very powerful to be able to speak to the attitudes and opinions of those in the central part of the country, especially at a conference that was largely represented by the west and east coasts and Hawaiian universities.”
Choe is a well-known thought leader in the inclusive restroom space, working as the project manager for the Stalled! initiative at JSA/MIXdesign since 2017. The initiative addresses the need for inclusive and accessible restrooms through built projects, lectures, workshops, design guidelines and prototypes.
“Higher education has remained a leading sector for inclusive restrooms due to their mandate to meet the intersecting needs of their diverse audiences across gender, physical and sensory disability, neurodiversity and more,” said Choe. “SCUP is an amazing opportunity to share our best practices from implementing built projects and guidelines at universities over the last 10 years, and to hear about the most pressing practical issues facing campus leaders today.”
Together, Truemper and Choe informed conference attendees about the ways campuses can prioritize the health, safety and psychological well-being of all students. They highlighted how thoughtful design strategies create a safe and inclusive space for a diverse campus population.
“One thing I hope people took away from the presentation is that inclusive design can be possible in any scenario,” Truemper said. “You don’t have to be burdened by doing it all at once; you can begin with one space and allow things to grow from there. Don’t be afraid to just start.”
Truemper is a dedicated advocate for inclusive design. She has completed dozens of all-gender restroom projects for many structures, including The Victor and 100 N Broadway in St. Louis. Truemper has also written about best practices and presented on the topic at several other conferences, including the AIA St. Louis All-Gender Restroom Design Panel Discussion in 2023.
“The SCUP conference was a great opportunity to connect with leaders from so many United States institutions and provide them with knowledge of all-gender restroom design,” Truemper said. “We are hopeful that the information we presented will be taken back and applied at schools throughout the country.”
The 2025 Annual Conference was not Trivers’ first involvement with SCUP. Trivers Associate Principal Ashley Hoolihan, AIA, LEED GA, has been involved with the organization for more than 10 years and serves as the Professional Development Chair. In 2023, she served as the Conference Chair for the SCUP North Central 2023 Regional Conference when it was held in St. Louis.
“There’s value in bringing designers, architects and higher education institutions together to share ideas and learn from one another,” Hoolihan said. “Now more than ever, it’s essential for us to come together to move institutions forward. Having a Trivers team member be part of these conversations reinforces our expertise in higher education design.”
