Yesterday, Claremont McKenna’s Residential Life Committee (RLC) e-mailed student publications a draft of a memorandum discussing and ultimately suggesting the creation of a gender-neutral housing option. Gender-neutral housing is “housing where roommate selection is not restricted by biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression.” The memo emphasizes that if implemented, this option will not interfere with the choices, rights, or options of any students. It also stated that the creation of a gender-neutral housing option will not create any financial or logistical burdens for the Dean of Students or the housing selection process.

The RLC first began studying and discussing gender-neutral housing in the spring of 2011. In the fall of 2011 the RLC unanimously approved a proposal in favor of a gender-neutral housing option submitted by RLC member Miles Lifson (’13). The memo is currently in student comment phase and must ultimately be approved by the Board of Trustees. If the gender-neutral housing option is created, it will not be effective until the 2013 room draw for the 2014-2015 school year.

A sign for a gender neutral restroom. (Image courtesy of Wikicommons)

Last spring was the first time CMC discussed in length a gender-neutral housing option. While this option is allowed at CMC’s senior apartments, CMC is the only one of the 5Cs without a gender-neutral housing option in its regular dormitories. Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life, Eric Vos, has previously expressed his support for this option in the Port Side. If the proposal is accepted, CMC will join the ranks of more than 50 other colleges across the country, many prestigious liberal art schools, that allow for gender-neutral housing.

Gender-neutral housing will not affect students who do not wish to participate in it. Single sex floors will remain, single sex bathrooms will exist on all floors, and both roommates would have to opt into this option. This housing option would be available on all current co-ed floors. The RLC decided against designating only one floor or dorm for this purpose for the fear that some students might feel stigmatized by living in “the gender-neutral dorm.” Couples will be allowed to room together but this arrangement will be “strongly discourage[d] on the housing application due to the risk of pairs breaking up.

To live in a gender-neutral room, students will need to indicate their preference on their housing application form. Students without a roommate or suitemates will mark whether they are comfortable living with people of the same sex/gender. However, this simple process is only available to non-freshmen. Incoming freshmen will have to apply for gender-neutral housing on a case-by-case basis. This decision was made because only non-freshman “understand college life and are able to holistically select a roommate”. The RLC is also worried about freshmen with disapproving parents. Without the consent of their child and his or her roommate, parents with students over the age of 18, will not have access to whether their student choses or agrees to live in a gender-neutral housing situation.

The RLC admits that their suggestions do not fully accommodate for transgender students. Therefore they recommend that CMC designate at least one gender-neutral single-occupancy bathroom in a dorm. In the future, CMC should allow for this kind of bathroom in all new dorms.

With more openly LGBTQ students and changing understandings of gender identity and expression, the RLC recognizes it is due time to create a gender-neutral housing option. Also motivating this proposal is the fact that CMC could be losing qualified applicants who only feel comfortable attending a school with this option. The RLC dismisses the current rationale that same sex/gender housing “eliminates sexual tension and discourages romantic involvement.” Lastly, they note that there have been no serious problems with this policy at other institutions.

Students with suggestions, opinions, or questions regarding this proposal are encouraged to attend feedback sessions held in the Claremont Hall Conference Room on Wednesday at 4:30pm or Friday at 11:00am. Students can also send feedback to Lifson at mlifson13@cmc.edu, which will then be passed