Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on November 22, 2010

University of Arizona in Tucson will be launching a new 'gender-neutral housing' program next fall

University of Arizona and Columbia University are the latest colleges that will begin letting students live on campus with members of the opposite sex in programs that are referred to as “gender-neutral housing” or “gender-blind housing.”

Because, heck, people are people and their genders or sexual proclivities shouldn’t matter, especially when they’re living together and trying to get an education.

Sigh.

Since so many college sexual encounters/relationships (regardless of whether it’s a heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual relationship) are in constant states of flux and evolution, since so many are often immature, alcohol- or drug-initiated, self-destructive, narcissistic, fatuous, and many barely last a week, let alone an entire school year, the inevitable soap-opera dramas and more serious emotional and health problems this condoned “shacking up” program could fuel should be a cause for alarm.

Do I smell lawsuits in their futures?

The explosion of problems that students’ track record of poor judgments and frequent promiscuous relationships could create for the universities should be obvious — except, of course, to the liberal “feel good about your free sexuality” administrators, like Jim Van Arsdel, UA’s assistant vice president for student affairs and university housing.

From KTAR News Radio, UA may let opposite sexes room together:

TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona is considering a pilot program that would allow students of the opposite sex to live in the same dorm room.

According to The Arizona Republic, if university officials decide to go forward with “gender-inclusive” housing, the option would be available to a limited number of students beginning next fall. Any student could apply to live in such housing.

[...]

Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University officials told The Republic they are not considering changing their policy to allow students of the opposite sex to room together.

From Arizona Republic, University of Arizona considering mixed-gender housing:

Supporters say the option provides comfort and a feeling of security for groups that are vulnerable to harassment, such as students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning their sexuality.

But the movement is unpopular with conservatives, who worry the change will eventually result in increases in sexual assaults and sexual harassment. They say that by offering gender-neutral housing, universities are trying to take the ideological position that gender is arbitrary and socially meaningless.

“That’s completely at odds with common sense,” said David French, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale-based Christian organization that seeks to preserve family values.

Critics also say universities shouldn’t be subsidizing “poor choices” by mixing different sexes in the same rooms. College students already struggle with plenty of issues, including binge drinking, depression and anxiety, French said.

“You mix all those together and then say, ‘Hey, guys and girls, why don’t you just go ahead and room together?’ and it seems to be asking for an even greater degree of trouble than already exists,” he said.

[...]

The trend toward gender-neutral dorms is just the latest evolution in on-campus housing.

Colleges used to have separate dorms for men and women. Then in the 1970s and ’80s, many dorms went co-ed with men and women living on alternate floors or wings. Today, many colleges also offer what are called “checkerboard” living arrangements where men live next door to women in the same dorm. It’s also common for some dorms to have themes where blocks of rooms are set aside for honors students, international students or those with similar majors.

About a decade ago, some liberal-arts colleges in the Northeast began allowing students of the opposite sex to live together in the same room.

Now, at least 54 offer some form of gender-neutral housing, said Jeffrey Chang, co-founder of the National Student Genderblind Campaign, which promotes the housing option.

Momentum for offering these options has picked up this fall, he said, in the wake of a high-profile incident in which Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide after a sexual encounter with a man in his dorm room was secretly taped and streamed online.

“We’re seeing college administrators kind of becoming more open” to the idea, Chang said.

Supporters say they aren’t pushing to make entire college campuses gender-neutral. They just want universities to make that option available.

“What we’re advocating is really not that radical,” Chang said.

From Columbia Spectator, CU approves gender-blind housing:

Come room selection in March, students will have the option of living in select residence hall doubles with any upperclass student, regardless of gender identity, Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger told Spectator Wednesday morning.

After considering a revised proposal from a task force of students and administrators, Dean of Columbia College Michele Moody-Adams and Dean of the Fu Foundation of Engineering and Applied Science Feniosky Peña-Mora gave the go-ahead to a pilot program that will allow students to room with those of the opposite sex in six residence halls.

[...]

Under the new policy, upperclass Barnard students who live in Columbia University housing will be given the opportunity to live in co-ed rooms in addition to the co-ed suites already available in EC, Ruggles, and Claremont.

“Because of our historic partnership with Columbia, Barnard is unique among women’s colleges in that students are able to participate in co-ed housing on campus. We are not aware of other women’s colleges who participate in this type of housing arrangement,” Aversa said.

The student-initiated campaign to bring gender-neutral housing to Columbia began a year and a half ago when Barnard’s Student Governing Board proposed changing the university-wide housing policy.

From Arizona Daily Wildcat, Group pushes dorm reform, Gender-inclusive housing crucial to LGBTQ students:

Students are pushing to shake things up in the same-sex designations for roommates in residence halls.

About 30 UA students from the LGBTQ community attended a forum held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, to discuss the establishment of a themed wing or floor in a residence hall that would be designated for people of their community who often feel victimized, uncomfortable, misunderstood or unsafe.

“Our goal is to have something in place for next year, recognizing that our returning students have to sign up for housing by February,” said Hannah Lozon, coordinator of social justice education at Residential Life. “We need to get as much support as we can,” she added.

[...]

An option that many students were in favor of was being able to state your rooming preference of gender and sexual orientation when applying for campus housing. That way, the entire rooming process would be optional. “This isn’t about segregation. It is only about making people feel more inclusive and safe,” Lozon said.

“The problem with this sort of option is it could stem to include other modes of segregation,” said Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life. “The reason we don’t collect more demographical information (from students) is that race, religion, sexual identity, etc. can also be fought for on the roommate preference issue. Part of the difficulty is that if we become too accommodating, we get to the point where we are expected to be the agents of hatred. Not gathering that sort of demographic information allows us to say ‘We don’t know.’ Asking questions about religion or anything of that sort is going to get the public to think we’re going to act on those answers in some way, which is inappropriate.”

This was posted a few weeks ago at The Daily Targum, the Rutgers communiqué… Transgender students seek more housing options:

Despite the University’s mantra of diversity, some transgender students are finding it difficult to feel comfortable in traditional on-campus housing.

Transgender students do not identify with their biological gender, or sometimes any gender, which could be problematic for some in on-campus housing, which assigns rooms based on legal and not self-identified gender.

Aaron Lee, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, started transitioning from female to male before college, making him one of a handful of other transgenders on campus.

Before entering the University, which Lee was excited to attend for its size and diversity, Lee felt concerned he would have difficulty living with a female roommate, since he does not identify as a female despite what his records indicated.

His mother had him contact several administrators, including Residence Life, to notify them of his situation. Lee was placed in a double converted into a single in Demarest Hall on the College Avenue campus.

Lee said he spent most of his first year alone.

“When you’re gender non-conforming, it’s very easy to keep the door shut,” he said.

Executive Director of Residence Life Joan Carbone said the University sees one or two such cases a year — though there could be more.

“Assigning a transgender student, who is transitioning during their first year of living on campus, is a complex issue which is best addressed on a case-by-case basis,” Carbone said. “We try to provide for the needs of all students and work individually with those with special needs.”

Acting Director of the Center for Social Justice and LGBT Communities Jenny Kurtz said Demarest Hall has a history of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer affirming.

“Demarest has a sex, sexuality and gender discussion and special interest group, and people then sort of it see as the dorm that’s most accepting,” Kurtz said.

But despite this, Lee said when some in his building found out about his gender identity, they reacted negatively.

Categories: Education, Government, Social and Political Climate
Tags: Arizona, bisexual, campus, co-ed, college, Columbia University, dorm, dorms, gay issues, gay rights, gender, gender blind, gender neutral, heterosexual, homosexual, LGBTQ, Rutgers University, university, university housing, University of Arizona