Mixed-gender groups draw nine suites in Spelman

Nine rooms were selected by mixed-gender draw groups in the Spelman Hall room draw on Tuesday, Undergraduate Housing manager Angela Hodgeman said in an e-mail. Fourteen mixed-gender draw groups had entered the Spelman draw for the 2010–11 academic year, the first time that the University will offer a gender-neutral housing option to undergraduates.

Last October, the University introduced a pilot program allowing upperclassmen to draw into the quads in Spelman Hall in mixed-gender groups, following in the footsteps of many peer institutions that have allowed limited forms of gender-neutral housing. Students in gender-neutral suites will have individual bedrooms and share a bathroom and common room.

Emily Rutherford ’12, an advocate for the gender-neutral housing option, said she was pleased with the number of draw groups taking advantage of the change in policy.

“It's good to see that the new policy is benefiting a sizable number of students,” she said.

Vice President of Campus Life Janet Dickerson said in an e-mail that the Undergraduate Life Committee (ULC) did not have a goal for the number of students choosing mixed-gender rooms, explaining that “a purpose of the pilot project was to assess interest in this option and to give single-gender groups as well as co-ed groups an equal opportunity to draw into the spaces.”

At least half of the students in Spelman draw groups must pledge to be independent, meaning that they cannot join an eating club, and preference is given to draw groups with a higher proportion of independent students. No preference was given to mixed-gender groups.

Many students who drew into gender-neutral suites lauded the new pilot program as a step forward.

Maiyuin Zhu ’12, who will live in a suite with two males and another female, called the University's lack of a gender-neutral housing option in the past “simply backward and pretty conservative.”

“I think most of us are mature enough to live harmoniously together in a co-ed room,” she said. “In most universities, students move to apartments by [their] second year and live in co-ed conditions anyway.”

Rutherford said that the program has received widespread approval. “Everyone from the student body at large to USG officers to administrators to trustees have expressed the belief that this is a common-sense policy,” she added.

For many students, the new gender-neutral housing option is a relief, because it allows them to draw with their close friends.

“I didn't know what I was going to do before [the new option became available],” said Mona Zhang ’12, adding that she would have had trouble finding three female roommates she felt comfortable living with “out of thin air.”

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Emma Bedard ’11, who will live with two males and another female, said that she has known her future roommates since freshman year.

“We were in neighboring quads, and I practically lived on their couch freshman and sophomore years,” she explained. “Unfortunately, this year we were spread out over campus, and with the new option of gender-neutral housing, we all just unanimously decided to draw into Spelman.”

But living with students of the opposite gender may also present some challenges.

Zhang said the only issue she foresees is that the three males she drew with, her boyfriend and two friends, clean the bathroom “less than once a year.”

Zhu cited similar concerns. “Some guys also seem not to have a minimal level of hygiene,” she explained. “You never know how low they can go.”

Bedard, however, said she will be prepared for living with male roommates after growing up with a brother, explaining she is a bit of a tomboy herself.

“The only awkward thing would maybe be showering, walking around in a towel or the guys seeing a giant box of Tampax in the bathroom,” she added.

On a more serious note, Zhu said that the University should take a proactive stance on the possibility of sexual harassment, adding that students could be educated on respectful cohabitation in co-ed environments.

While the issue of boyfriends and girlfriends choosing to live together and breaking up mid-year is a possible concern, most students said, students are mature enough to consider such risks.

“I do not think the University should attempt ... social engineering,” Zhu said. “These problems will arise, and it will affect students and their studies, but these students are also 20 and need to learn how to deal with these issues.”

Alexander Ulyett ’11, one of Bedard's future roommates, emphasized that “in just over a year, half the people eligible for co-ed housing will be out in the ‘real world’ and will have to decide their own housing situation.”

He added that the concern over relationships in co-ed housing is “rather heteronormative.”

“Gay students have always had the option of living with their boyfriends and girlfriends and seem to have been making responsible decisions,” he explained.

Rutherford said she hopes the co-ed option will be expanded to other buildings in the future.

“My personal belief is that students who aren't eligible for Spelman draw should also have the opportunity to draw in gender-neutral groups,” she said. “I hope that Housing and the ULC will take the needs of students in clubs and co-ops under consideration when evaluating this year's pilot program.”

Hodgeman said that the Housing Department will evaluate the housing lottery process and monitor the program throughout the year before determining future plans for gender-neutral housing.

Editor's Note: The headline for this article has been updated.