Gender-neutral housing will be available at UC-San Diego starting Fall 2011.
All seven living areas on campus will offer a gender-neutral (or inclusive) option for students. The 2011-2012 housing application process–set to start in several weeks–will unveil this option.
Warren College unveils the option below:
Gender Inclusive Housing coming soon… Room Selection 2011
Gender Inclusive Housing will now be available for continuing groups of residents in all seven residential/apartment living areas at UC San Diego. This housing option is available only to groups of residents from the same college (except for the Village and International House). If you are eligible for Housing Room Selection 2011, then that means you are eligible for Gender Inclusive Housing.
Application available here! Warren Gender Inclusive Housing Application (PDF)
The Washington Post notes that gender neutral housing options are commonplace at many American universities:
Gender neutral housing is offered by about 50 colleges and universities, including Stanford University, Dartmouth College and the University of Michigan. Just last month, Columbia University announced a pilot program in several of its upperclassmen halls, according to the Columbia Spectator.
While this might sound harmless, there are implications that arise from this new policy.
Conservatives are concerned about this living arrangement since it permits a negative moral system. A Human Events article authored by Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute‘s Alyssa Cordova and Camille Hart details the danger of gender neutral housing below:
Parents send their children off to college to learn and prepare for adulthood. Many have no idea that universities have become Ground Zero for the anything-goes sexual culture. An 18-year-old student entering college is likely to soon face bowls of condoms at freshman orientation, coed living, sex fairs, and courses where students “study” pornographic films. It is common for students to not hear a single conservative viewpoint on sexual morals at their school in four years. Without a voice of reason, many students begin to question and sometimes reject the values they were instilled with growing up. Outrageous sexual behavior quickly becomes the norm for many young people.
Here are the eligibility requirements for the gender inclusive option at UC-San Diego:
Eligibility Requirements – If you meet one of the criteria below, you are eligible for Room Selection 2011:
1. Traditional Eligibility: A first year student residing in Housing who met the housing application deadline of May 1, 2010, all other subsequent deadlines, and housed as of September 23, 2010. A lapse in student status (even for one quarter) or moving off campus for any length of time (other than for a university-sponsored program), negates the 2-year housing guarantee for these students.
2. Scholars Eligibility: Regents Scholars, Chancellor’s Entering Freshman, Jacobs School of Engineering Scholars who are currently residing in on-campus housing are guaranteed and eligible to participate in Room Selection 2011. A lapse in student status (even for one quarter) or moving off campus for any length of time (other than for a university-sponsored program) negates the 4-year housing guarantee for these students.
3. Newly Eligible Student: A current student residing in on-campus housing who does not already meet the two definitions above. (This would include current residents who will be 3rd or 4th year students in Fall 2011)
The application process is detailed below:
Application Process
1. Decide with whom you want to live, and have initial conversations about what it would mean to live in housing that does not consider gender, gender identity or gender expression in terms of placement. In other words, men, women and people of all gender identities and expressions live together. This is in contrast to the gendered living arrangements throughout the rest of housing, where women and men live in separate residences.
2. Groups will be required to have a full household for application to be considered. A full household is described as follows:
a. Warren: 4-person apartments (2 double rooms)
b. Muir: Tuolumne Apartments, 4-person apartments (1 double room, 2 single rooms) or 5-person apartments (1 double room, 3 single rooms)
c. ERC and I-House: 4-person flats (4 single rooms)
d. Sixth: 900’s building. Combinations of 3, 4 and 5 person apartments. All singles and doubles.
e. Village: Tower West, 4 person apartments (2 double rooms) s or Village East Building 2 or 3, 5-person apartments (1 double room, 3 single rooms)
f. TMC: Lowers, 4-person apartments (1 double room, 2 single rooms)
g. Revelle: 6 person apartments: 2 singles , 2 doubles
3. Same gender required within a bedroom (i.e. a double room may not be mixed gender)
4. Visit the website of your living area, and download the application for Gender Inclusive Housing (applications are also available from the Residential Life office)
2/8/2011
5. Get an endorsement/reference from your RA/HA- only one is needed for each group.
6. Sign a Gender Inclusive Living Agreement- one per person.
7. Applications will be screened to be forwarded to an interview process with Residential Life Staff.
8. Groups selected and notified.
9. Groups selected will need to accept in writing.
Successful groups will:
a. Demonstrate and articulate motivation for living in a gender inclusive household.
b. Group presentation/interview would address how they will deal with conflict (including intimate relationship conflict) and demonstrate examples of cooperative living lifestyle.
c. Will have demonstrated commitment to current relationships. (We would expect that they have a previously established relationship, and have reflected upon potential group dynamics.)
d. Demonstrate commitment to remain in apartment together.
e. MUST Apply for Housing during designated application period (April 5 – 7) and make $650 pre-payment.
Please note:
Applications will be restricted to the college of registration for placement (except at I-House and The Village)
Not all applications may be forwarded to the interview process.
Room changes or room swaps are not allowed (including apartment changes). Changes to group commitment will be subject to reevaluation. The apartment group will be disbanded and only offered a late room selection time slot and may be placed in any available space on campus.
IF a student cancels AFTER they have paid their $650 BUT before room selection or being pre-placed, they will receive a full refund of $650. If a space is not selected or the student does not notify Housing of cancellation or the student is pre-placed, they will be subject to the cancellation policy and therefore may lose $100 (administrative fee if pre-placed) or $250 (the $250 is the first deduction after Room Selection Day).
The full application can be found here.
This living arrangement will boast many problems– from bad behavior to promiscuity to lewd conduct to poor health. In such, a co-ed/gender-neutral environment will expose kids fresh out of high school to odd, unfamiliar living situations. One must ask, why would a university neglect or deprive students of their well-being?
Stay tuned for more developments from UC-San Diego on this subject.
