Haverford College has decided to let students of the opposite-sex share suites and apartments that have single bedrooms, following complaints from the gay and lesbian community that mandatory single-sex housing was discriminatory.
The move corresponds with Haverford's gradual policy of allowing housing to become increasingly coeducational.
Although the decision has excited the national press, it will not likely have any immediate impact at Dartmouth.
After a long tradition of co-ed bathrooms, last year Haverford allowed students of different genders to share suites that contain separate bedrooms for all suite residents. This year, that policy was extended to include two-bedroom apartments.
"The idea of co-ed housing in apartments was raised because there were several gay and lesbian students who wanted to live in the apartments and not be on the meal plan but couldn't find same-sex roommates or same-sex roommates who they felt comfortable with," said Kilian Kroll, president of inQUEERy at Haverford, a gay and lesbian group that pressed for the change.
According to Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman, his office is not aware of similar gay and lesbian complaints at Dartmouth.
He did say, however, that while Dartmouth is not considering a change similar to that enacted by Haverford in the short term, increasing the coeducation of housing is among the College's long term goals.
"With the [Student Life Initiative] and building new buildings, we're definitely considering it," Redman said. "If we were to build town houses for say six to eight students, certainly we would consider those to be co-ed."
Redman added that with McCulloch Residence Hall, the new East Wheelock building, "we need some experience with how the building works first before we move in the direction" of Haverford.
Haverford, too, is operating on a "trial basis," according to that college's Director of Public Relations Pam Sheridan.
Despite what many at Haverford consider misleading media coverage, including an Associated Press story titled "Opposite-Sex Roommates OK'd," the most recent policy did not create much student opposition. Indeed, traditional dormitory rooms that lead off of a single hallway will remain single-sex, and first-year students will not be able to elect the co-ed option.
"I think the media really didn't get at why the old policy was discriminatory," said Kroll. "It made Haverford seem like a radical leftist school, but it's not. We didn't change it because we wanted to be progressive, but rather because it made sense."
Asked about student concern with the new housing policy, Kroll said that there had been some but that "it was not enough to change anything."
"Some students, especially straight students," he elaborated, "were concerned that straight couples would move in together in the apartments and that would cause problems. We argued our way by saying no one is going to force you to live with someone of the opposite-sex.
"The housing policy has always protected straight students from being dumb enough to live together in the beginning of a relationship, while gay and lesbian students have never had that protection," Kroll continued.
