RSS
Facebook
Twitter
E-PrinceReader Comments
University lags behind Ivy peers on co-ed housing
Published: Thursday, April 17th, 2008
The recent establishment of an ad-hoc administrative committee to explore the possibility of gender-neutral housing at Yale leaves Princeton as the only Ivy League institution yet to formally consider amending its undergraduate housing policy to include this option, which would ...(back to the article)
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual commenters and do not necessarily represent the views of The Daily Princetonian Publishing Company, Inc. We do not take responsibility for the opinions, facts, or claims presented by individual commenters, and reserve the right to moderate or delete inappropriate comments.
I swear the Prince just reads the Yale Daily News and changes some words around a few days later...
I can't understand how allowing gender neutral housing would be complex, difficult, require dialogue, or be anything other than totally feasible. All that has to happen is remove a restriction and allow people to live with whom they choose. It's an easy fix. Students know it would be unwise to live with a partner. This should be fixed tomorrow, it's common sense, there's nothing to study about it. (While I was at PU we didn't have "gender neutral" bathrooms in name, but we did in practice, you went to whatever bathroom you wanted to (men's or women's) and used it. I don't understand that concept as much as I do the need to remove the sex-based rule on who you can and cannot live with.).
I completely agree with Crusty Alum. The fact that I can't live with my guy friends just because I have 2 X chromosomes and a vagina is ridiculous. This is an antiquated system. In the real world, 18+ adults can live with whomever they choose. And sometimes they make mistakes but it's not the tragedy some expect it to be. Furthermore, some couples are ready to live with one another (those who are engaged for instance). And while gay and lesbian couples can live together, heterosexual couples cannot. That's unfair.
I have no problems with men and women living together, but most dorms are one room! Most people who live with the other sex do so after college and almost always have their own room. Perhaps the university only allows this for those with their own rooms, like spellman or something
So now it's the heterosexuals who are being discriminated against? Who'da thought?
The bigger question is why in the world is the Anscombe Society quoted every time there is an article on a LGBT topic? The Prince is fueling this opposition between the two groups and setting up a false dichotomy.
The article does not really define gender neutral housing. However, the idea that it would cost "a significant amount of resources" is ridiculous. Other then editing a form or two, there are no costs associated with this. Also, the idea that STI rates would increase and sex would increase is ludicrous. There are already a lot of people who share rooms "unofficially" with the person they are dating. Besides, currently most floors are co-ed and people share bathrooms in most of the halls regardless of the gender written on the bathroom door.
I'm pretty sure the graduate school already allows this, without restriction to LGBT students or students in a domestic partnership. Did they actually interview someone in the grad school for this story?
I'm what about students that not only fail to identify with the traditional gender binary but students who don't identify with other "traditional notions" such as wearing clothes, or bathing, or what about students that think they are spacemen (space people)? At some point this becomes ridiculous. I once met a girl who was convinced that she was a horse. Should make barn housing for her? In the old days we had a word for people who thought they were something they scientifically weren't: crazy.
Get this done. It's a simple fix. If it needs to be billed as "diverse" or LGBT friendly to get it through, fine. It will take no resources, it doesn't take any study, just remove the restriction and allow people to room with those who they are most comfortable with. Gender neutral bathrooms are a planning nightmare, that can be figured out later (if ever).