A new thematic community, Spectrum, will be available on the Residential Programs and Services housing application for next school year. It will be located in Teter Quad, which is located in the central neighborhood.
Its mission, according to a press release, is “to create a supportive, engaging and enriching living and learning community for students who identify across the gender and sexual orientation spectrum.”
Barry Magee, assistant director for residential life at RPS, said Spectrum provides a safe place for students to express or develop their identity.
He said the community was proposed last year and was met with a positive response.
“This is just another opportunity for students who are interested in or who feel like they need some kind of support that they may not find ?somewhere else,” he said.
Senior Ethan Jackson sent a letter of support as part of the Spectrum proposal. He said he identifies as a transgender student and supports the community’s mission to provide an area for anyone interested in being a part of the GLBT community.
Spectrum Thematic Community is open to students who identify with any gender or sexuality and their allies. While it is inclusive of all identities, amenities for GLBT-identifying students are provided.
The floor will consist of mixed gender double rooms with single-?occupant pod bathrooms.
Twenty-eight bed spaces are available on the Spectrum floor. Potential residents must submit a specific application through the RPS website.
Magee said the application asks more in-depth questions about the applicants’ desire to live on the floor, as well as what gender applicants identify with and their pronoun ?preference.
“We don’t ask questions,” Magee said. “If that’s your gender identity, that’s your gender identity.”
Additionally, students may select with which gender identities they prefer to live.
There is an additional $100 fee to live in Spectrum. Magee said the fee would contribute to event planning for students on the floor.
According to the RPS website, activities may include forming a delegation to attend the Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference and attending local events such as the Bloomington Pride Film Festival.
A student leadership board for the living ?community will decide how the money is spent, guided by the principles of what the floor is about, Magee said.
Magee said the community should be rooted in helping marginalized students be successful.
“This might be a small group of people,” Magee said. “But majority doesn’t rule.”
He said identification is not just male and female anymore, and more residential living should be able to accommodate for that.
“Allow the box to be broader, or just blow the box apart,” he said.
Jackson said operating on campus for transgender students can be difficult.
Magee said the community should allow residents to be comfortable sharing their differences and diversity and feel validated in ?doing so.
“Those conversations can be so rich,” he said. “If we’re willing to have them.”
