Gender-blind hall a housing possibility by Alden Ferro Editor-in-Chief A gender-blind hall may become a living option for undergraduates in residence halls next fall, according to Dean of the College Freddye Hill and member of the Queer Task Force (QTF) Zachary Strassburger ’06. The LGBTQQ subcommittee of the WSA Student Life Committee originally proposed the idea for the hall. According to Hill, the University strives “to create safe spaces for groups to feel comfortable. We just need to know how this [the idea for a gender-blind hall] fits into that.” “The idea is to create a space that is friendly and responsive to the needs of trans-identified students,” said Director of Residential Life Jeff Ederer. “I think the concept is much more than promoting the idea that a girl and guy can share the same room, though that is certainly part of it.” Whether a gender-blind hallway or floor will actually be a living option for members of the class of 2007 has yet to be decided. Last week, Hill met with Ederer, Associate Director of ResLife Maureen Isleib and Dean of Student Services Michael Whaley. As of Thursday morning, Ederer said that there was not going to be a gender-blind hall or floor for the upcoming academic year. However, both Hill and Whaley said Thursday evening that the idea is still up for discussion and as soon as a formal proposal for what a gender-blind hall would entail is created, talks will continue. “There were some concerns raised initially…we don’t know exactly what’s being proposed,” Whaley said. Though it is not impossible that a gender-blind hall will be created in a residence hall for next year, “we need to see something first,” Whaley said. “There are pros in theory and there are cons in theory.” Strassburger also cited the revised Equal Opportunity Statement released by the University on Feb. 24, which now includes gender prejudice, stating that “The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.” According to Strassburger, the QTF has worked on creating gender-blind housing for a number of years. “The committee has agreed to provide an option for trans students who can’t live in doubles and are forced to pay extra for single housing.” Though a final decision on whether or not to institute a gender-blind hall may not come for some time, Ederer said that ResLife is still committed to making housing more accommodating to transgendered students. “A gender-blind floor is an exciting concept, but we need to think bigger about how to fit the concept within our evolving goals for first year student housing. I think by working with the students, we can do more and better. This will lead us to where our halls, and residence life, are seen as very trans-friendly,” Ederer said. Kevin Hall ’05, who has helped to create the idea of a gender-blind hall, said that it can be most closely equated with the gender-specific and substance-free halls already in existence. One of the issues Strassburger said came up in meetings with Hill was the desire to create a safe space for transgendered students without segregating a feeling of diversity on campus. “Dean Hill didn’t want to create a further stratified community,” Strassburger said. “I believe there is more we can do to make sure we provide a residential experience where every student feels that they matter and are important, including trans-identified students,” Ederer said. Emily Polak ’05, chair of the Student Affairs Committee that oversees the LGTBQQ subcommittee, said that possible locations for the hall are still being discussed with Whaley. “My hopes [for a gender-blind hall] aren’t completely diminished,” Polak said. “It’s such a progressive idea…we want to keep talking with the trans community.” Both Ederer and Polak said that they are not aware of any other universities have a specific gender-blind hall. Ederer stressed that all housing except for the residence halls is already gender-blind. According to Hall, though the issue has been discussed in the past, it has never been more pertinent or more vocalized until this year. “The idea is to have housing space for people who don’t feel comfortable having housing based on the gender binary,” Hall said. “There are some students now who need it.” “What we are looking at here is how we can provide a more trans-friendly environment for our students who live in the residence halls. This is a question we will continue to pursue,” Ederer said. “We’re not there yet, but we are making progress, and I believe we are ahead of many other schools.” The probability of succeeding in creatinga gender-blind hall for next year “is about fifty-fifty,” according to Hall. Though the final decision for the creation of the hall rests with Hill, Hall said, “Everything is in place; I think we can make it a viable option within Dean Hill’s framework.”

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