Students at Columbia University recently took on Fox News to reiterate, once again, the compelling rationale for gender neutral policy. In less than four and half minutes of discussion, even the student selected by Fox to advocate for the status quo said that a housing policy with increased student options actually makes a whole lot of sense: “We’re in college; it’s a chance for us to make reasonable decisions, to make our own decisions.”

Press Contact: Eric Eid-Reiner, Reiner_Eric@wheatonma.edu

Wheaton College, in Norton, MA, will soon allow students to room together regardless of gender!  Wheaton’s Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Lee Williams approved the proposal on November 2, 2009.  Gender-neutral rooming at Wheaton will be a campus-wide option, excluding the same-sex dorms/halls, which is expected to go into effect spring 2010 for current students and in fall 2010 for incoming students.

Under the new policy, sophomores, juniors, and seniors will continue to be able to choose the person with whom they wish to room, but gender will no longer be a limiting factor.  Information on gender-neutral rooming will be included in the mailings sent out to first-year and transfer students during the room selection process, which will invite them to express their preference for a gender-neutral room on their housing questionnaire.  Students will not be required to “justify” or explain their roommate preferences.  This means that students who are transgender, intersex, or otherwise do not identify within the gender binary, will no longer have to decide between concealing their identity or “out-ing” themselves in order to have a rooming situation with which they are comfortable. Read the rest of this entry »