VSA passes resolution supporting gender-neutral housing

Brian Farkas News Editor

At its Jan. 26 meeting, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council unanimously passed Council Action 22-3 in support of a gender-neutral housing policy. This policy would allow sophomores, juniors and seniors to live together regardless of gender. First-year students will continue to be assigned roommates of the same gender unless they submit a request to the Office of Residential Life.

“The VSA Council recognizes the complexities of identity surrounding sex, gender and sexual orientation,” the resolution stated, referencing Vassar’s Nondiscrimination and Nonharassment Policy. “VSA Council recognizes students’ rights to define their own gender and sexual orientation and to make appropriate housing decisions for themselves based on those aspects of identity,” the document continued.

The gender-neutral policy was reviewed and approved by the Residential Life Advisory Committee (RLAC) last semester, and it is currently being considered by the Committee on College Life (CCL). Last semester, CCL discussed the policy once and brought up the topic again at its meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Director of Residential Life Luis Inoa hopes that the policy will be in place by the April 2008 room draw. “In the end, the policy is just an extension of what we already do in our suites and apartments,” he said. “We want to provide upper-class students the full freedom to choose who they will live with.” Inoa emphasized the importance of discussion to ensure that as many voices as possible are heard.

“I think for this issue the policy is being put to more scrutiny,” said VSA Vice President for Student Life Morgan Warners ’08. “The idea of letting people room with whoever they want doesn’t seem that scary, but when you come out and say that means letting women and men room together, I think some people get concerned.”

Warners, who advocated for gender-neutral housing during his campaign last spring, believes that students feel better about themselves and perform better academically when they are comfortable in their housing situations.

“Giving everyone the flexibility to pick who to live with lets people seek out the best rooming situation,” he explained. “Sometimes two good friends aren’t of the same gender.”

Many in the Council agreed, emphasizing the importance of the policy for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) students. Class of 2011 President Joseph Redwood-Martinez, who helped draft the resolution, feels that adopting the policy is a priority. “We need to make sure that our housing is inclusive for all student needs. There’s absolutely no reason to make any students feel uncomfortable. No one is better off, and many people are potentially worse off under the current system.”

Warners echoed this belief. “Right now, the policy privileges the experience of straight and typically-gendered students. GLBT/queer students don’t fit into the ‘two straight roommates’ model,” he said, noting that this policy needs to be adapted to the realities of the student body.

Martinez feels that freshmen should be especially concerned about the issue. “People should realize that the current freshman class is really going to benefit from this policy. With the renovation of Davison House next fall, all members of the Class of 2011 will be in doubles. This means we want to make those students as comfortable as possible, and I see this as an important step in that direction,” he said. “That’s why I made a point of helping to write this resolution.”

Last semester, Martinez solicited comments from the Class of 2011 regarding the policy. “The most common response was, ‘How do we not have a policy like that in place already?’” Many of Vassar’s peer institutions, including Swarthmore College and Brown, Wesleyan and Columbia universities, have had such housing options in place for years.

Warners believed that most students support a gender-neutral housing option. “So far the only objections I’ve heard, and there have been very, very few, have been based either on fear or a misunderstanding of the issue,” he said. “I hope having information out there on this will let people see that it’s all about choice and that no one would ever force anyone to live in a mixed-gender situation. It’s about having the option. This isn’t a mandate. This is about choice.”