The announcement that gender-neutral housing will be an option for Dartmouth students next fall is a victory for the entire student body. The status quo policy can hurt students' residential lives by mandating their roommates possess a certain characteristic that is not necessarily integral to having a successful roommate relationship.
All in all, not everyone feels most comfortable living with members of their own sex and not everyone feels comfortable living with members of the opposite sex. Students may find close friends and ideal roommates in members of the opposite sex and should have the option to room with them. A policy that would let students choose would therefore be preferable to the current system. We live in an age where such social boundaries are evolving and the College has put itself at the forefront of the movement.
Dean of Residential Life Marty Redman should be applauded for responding to student desires in the face of the national collegiate housing trends and conservative elements within the College community.
This initiative owes thanks to Student Body President Tim Andreadis '07, who started championing gender-neutral housing long before he took over the reigns of Student Assembly. Dartmouth has often been one of the last of its brethren to accept social change. Today it should be praised for promoting it.
