A proposal to be introduced at the Campus Life Corporation Committee meeting this month could make gender-neutral housing available to first-years as early as 2013. The proposal will not be brought to the full Corporation until May.
Drafted by the student group GenderAction, the proposal would give incoming first-years the option of selecting gender-neutral housing on their housing preference forms, said Maddy Jennewein '14, co-president of GenderAction. Jennewein said there would be three different options regarding gender-neutral housing listed on the preference form — one for students who need a gender-neutral assignment to feel comfortable, one for students who would like a gender-neutral assignment and one for students who would not want a gender-neutral housing assignment. This would make it easier for people who identify as one gender but support those who do not to take part in the program, Jennewein said.
GenderAction, a subgroup of the Queer Alliance, brought the proposal to the Office of Residential Life and the Office of Campus Life and Student Services last semester. The group will meet with the Campus Life Advisory Board next week. Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, will present the proposal at both Corporation meetings.
Over 30 student organizations have signed onto the proposal. One such group, the Residential Council, voted unanimously in favor of it because "it was hard to see a negative," said ResCouncil Chair Sam Barney '12.
A poll conducted by the Undergraduate Council of Students in the fall found that 79.6 percent of students are in favor of offering first-years gender-neutral housing. There is also an online petition that had 523 signatures of support from students and alums as of last November.
But Jennewein said administrators are more hesitant than students to approve such a sweeping change. She added that for the option to be put in place by 2013, it would have to be approved by the Corporation "very quickly."
Between Corporation meetings, GenderAction will also take the proposal to the Diversity Advisory Board, a committee composed of faculty members and administrators.
