RPS looks toward the future of coed housing

Students might soon have more options to live with the opposite sex on campus.
The Residence Halls Association is trying to implement another option for mixed-gender housing, which is already happening at McNutt Quad.

At McNutt, mixed gender is described as alternating male and female on several floors, said senior and RHA President Marianna Eble.

Females live across the hall from each other, but live neighboring males, she said.
For apartment-style living, mixed-gender housing is present in suites with multiple bedrooms and shared living room and kitchen space.

“We’re doing this in the hopes that it will give more options,” Eble said.
She also said it would expose willing students to this type of living
arrangement.

It gives more respect to the transgender community, Eble said, and gives more options that appeal to as many people as possible.

Eble said RHA is not trying to implement mixed-gender housing all across campus.
Coed housing will be in select targeted locations, such as Union Street Center, Willkie Quad and Hillcrest Apartments.

“Right now, RHA’s role in moving this forward is simply making sure there’s a student backing for this initiative,” Eble said.

RHA is developing a survey that will be distributed to 2,000 random students in October.

The survey will include questions regarding this issue, such as students’ acceptance of mixed-gender housing.

At McNutt, Eble said RHA has received no negative feedback, only positive and neutral.

“We have known for the last two to three years that there were some students wanting to pursue this option,” RPS Assistant Director of Housing Assignments Sara Ivey Lucas said, but it isn’t clear exactly how many students.

RPS would like to see this initiative come from  student government, Lucas said, and she hopes RHA can gather information and present it to RPS so they can review the proposal.

RHA is looking for feedback on this initiative. Eble wants people to realize this is not a required arrangement, but rather an elective choice.

“No one will be forced into mixed-gender housing,” she said.

—Jessica Williams