Gender-neutral housing

As the president of Duke Students for Gender Neutrality, a new student advocacy group on campus, I wanted to write a brief response to the article “Gender-neutral housing likely to continue, sees glitches” that appeared in the Sept. 1 edition of The Chronicle. First of all, I would like to laud The Chronicle for bringing attention to the way that students who have chosen the gender-neutral housing option have been mistreated in the Room Picks process.

That being said, I think it is important to point out the substantial difference between gender-neutral housing and co-ed housing that the article missed. A housing model is only truly gender-neutral if members of the opposite sex can live together in one room as roommates; a housing model is co-ed if male and female residents can live on the same hall, but only in same-sex roommate pairs. Thus, the article’s assertion that “There are also two gender-neutral sections in Kilgo and Few” is inaccurate; Kilgo and Few only have co-ed housing options.

Also, I think that the article missed the very important point that in actuality, we still do not have gender-neutral housing on campus in any respect. The current “gender-neutral” option on Central Campus does not allow males and females to share a bedroom. The only apartments in which “gender-neutral” housing is allowed are apartments with two single bedrooms or apartments with two single bedrooms and a double bedroom, and the double bedroom must be shared between students of the same sex. So in reality, there is not any gender-neutral housing on campus where male and female students can share a room.

Even though some people would dismiss gender-neutral housing as a “fringe” issue, it is one that fundamentally affects gender relations on campus. If we say that men and women cannot live together at Duke—even as friends—we exacerbate poor gender relations campus-wide. And honestly, if I want to live with one of my best friends who happens to be a girl, what’s the big deal?

Jacob Tobia

President, Duke Students for Gender Neutrality

Trinity ’14