Ashton residents make switch to co-ed floors

A two-year-old proposal by the student government of Ashton Center was finally passed and implemented, making certain buildings in Ashton co-ed, meaning that males and females would be living on the same floor with male-occupied rooms next to female-occupied rooms.

Ashton is a dormitory the consists entirely of single rooms, and this switch was made to generate a greater sense of community, Ashton residence manager Shelley Arroyo said. 

“More people talking, more people getting vocal, that’s how it came
up,” Arroyo said. “Feedback so far has been really, really good.”

The switch hasn’t gone without its hitches, said Jennifer Swilik, a residence assistant at Ashton.

“There are more girl-guy problems going on,” Swilik said. “I think the guys like to mess with the girls a lot, and some girls don’t appreciate that.”

The lack of public knowledge of the change ahead of time also sparked issues, Arroyo said.

“Three people wanted to move rooms as soon as they found out,” Arroyo said. “Part of our plan for next year is that you would know ahead of time that this is definitely
happening.”

Arroyo said another potential for problems is that some people would feel uncomfortable if there wasn’t an even number of males and females on any given floor.
Swilik said it seems, though, that the goal of building a greater sense of community is being achieved.

“This being my second year, and having guys on the floor, I’ve noticed that the floor seems to be more social,” Swilik said. “There seems to be guys and girls interacting a lot and people are out in the lounge more. It just seems like the co-ed has made everyone a bit more social. “