Following the examples of other schools across the country, males and females at Harvard University may find themselves sharing closer quarters by the 2007-2008 school year.
The “Rooming Choice Act,” which would allow male and female upperclassmen to share rooms on campus, would make Harvard University one of many schools to allow coed rooming. The bill, which has been approved by the Committee on House Life, will be submitted for final logistical issues in May, Harvard Democrats President Eric Lesser said.
According to a March 13 statement released by the Harvard College Democrats, the group supports the bill on the grounds that it would give students more independence.
“The proper role of the college is not to determine with whom students may or may not live, but rather to empower its students to make their own decisions responsibly,” the statement detailed.
Lesser said he understands that “people are responsible for their own actions.”
“Implementation of this proposal will help further progressive ideals on campus and improve student life,” Lesser said, adding that he thinks the measure would amount to little controversy because the co-ed roommates would already know each other.
According to Lesser, the bill is also aimed at increasing fairness to people with different sexual orientations because homosexuals sometimes prefer to live with someone of the opposite sex to avoid possible homophobia.
“This Act will [positively] affect gay and transsexual individuals,” he said.
Rich DeCapua, assistant director of residential life at Wesleyan University — which has provided co-ed housing upperclassmen for more than 10 years — agreed that co-ed rooming represents “an issue of free choice,” adding that this was the first year freshmen students had the option of rooming with someone of the opposite sex.
Wesleyan piloted a “Gender-Blind” housing option in 2002 in which students requesting a room have the choice of being placed randomly in a room either with someone of the same or opposite sex.
However, many first-year students wanted the typical college dorm experience of living with someone of the same gender, DeCapua continued.
DeCapua said one of the advantages of the co-ed rooming is that the program is not geared towards people of a particular sexual orientation.
“We don’t make anyone ‘out’ themselves in order to get in,” he said.
DeCapua said that students need to submit a reason why they wanted co-ed housing, and a legitimate reason for this can be as innocuous as “they get along better with someone of the opposite sex.”
The biggest drawback about co-ed rooming, according to DeCapua, is that people dating each other sometimes room together, which can quickly turn into a messy situation in the event of a break-up.
Lesser also said that sharing an apartment in college with a significant other is not the wisest idea, but the bill would allow it.
DeCapua downplayed concerns about potential sexual harassment risks posed by co-ed students living together, saying that he has not received any sexual harassment complaints from students in the co-ed rooming.
Lesser said he did not think sexual assaults would occur as a result of co-ed rooming, adding that Harvard has a strict policy against irresponsible behavior.
“Harvard has a strict policy against it,” he said, “Besides, [irresponsible behavior] happens already.”
According to a Nov. 1, 2002 article in The Daily Free Press, Boston University Director of Housing Marc Robillard said BU administrators had no intentions to create co-ed dormitory rooms, adding that BU policy outlines that rooms must have same-sex residents. He added that this pertains to students who are married, as well.
Robillard said in the article that he only had one instance where a student had problems with a housing situation due to sexual orientation.
“One student who was transgender opted to live alone,” Robillard said in the article, adding that moving to a single room on campus is an option for those who feel uncomfortable living with people of the same sex.
Although more schools are starting to adopt co-ed rooming, it seems that some schools will never consider the measure because of religious affiliations.
Henry Humphreys, director of residential life at Boston College, said that BC administrators would never consider co-ed rooming because it is a Catholic Jesuit University and such a plan would “counter the mission of the institution.”
