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Halsell Hall to allow mixed gender roommate pairings
Beginning next year Halsell Hall will allow students to have roommates of another gender
Candice Ruud
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News
Beginning in the 2008-09 school year, Halsell Hall will officially become the first residence hall at OSU to allow gender-inclusive apartment-style living, according to the UHDS housing website.
This provision will allow students to live with the person of their choice, regardless of gender.
Other Oregon schools have already committed to this arrangement as well. Lewis and Clark University, Portland State University, Willamette University and Reed College will all offer gender-inclusive living as of next year.
This new housing opportunity was proposed by ASOSU, which wanted a gender-inclusive on-campus living option. The proposal was passed this year, to the contentment of many OSU students.
Around campus, most students feel that the opportunity to live with a boyfriend, girlfriend or family member of the opposite sex is a progressive and positive idea, even if they wouldn't necessarily be comfortable with the arrangement themselves.
"It would create an environment where guys and girls in the dorms could create friendships and really interact with each other," said Megan Amort, a junior in liberal studies.
"I'm all for it," said Khaled Alshehab, a junior in health management and policy. "I think it goes well with the university's aim for diversity. It's the normal way of living [outside of college]. We should not be segregated based on gender, but instead live normally together. Having this in a university setting would give us the opportunity to be more respectful of each other."
Some students feel that the change will help with increasing diversity on campus and make life more comfortable for all students.
"I think it's a really good idea, especially for students who don't classify themselves as male or female," said Julie Bacon, a graduate student in English. "So I think if you're among that group, there is a tremendous pressure to have to mislabel yourself for the comfort of others, and with gender-inclusive housing that pressure isn't there.
This provision will allow students to live with the person of their choice, regardless of gender.
Other Oregon schools have already committed to this arrangement as well. Lewis and Clark University, Portland State University, Willamette University and Reed College will all offer gender-inclusive living as of next year.
This new housing opportunity was proposed by ASOSU, which wanted a gender-inclusive on-campus living option. The proposal was passed this year, to the contentment of many OSU students.
Around campus, most students feel that the opportunity to live with a boyfriend, girlfriend or family member of the opposite sex is a progressive and positive idea, even if they wouldn't necessarily be comfortable with the arrangement themselves.
"It would create an environment where guys and girls in the dorms could create friendships and really interact with each other," said Megan Amort, a junior in liberal studies.
"I'm all for it," said Khaled Alshehab, a junior in health management and policy. "I think it goes well with the university's aim for diversity. It's the normal way of living [outside of college]. We should not be segregated based on gender, but instead live normally together. Having this in a university setting would give us the opportunity to be more respectful of each other."
Some students feel that the change will help with increasing diversity on campus and make life more comfortable for all students.
"I think it's a really good idea, especially for students who don't classify themselves as male or female," said Julie Bacon, a graduate student in English. "So I think if you're among that group, there is a tremendous pressure to have to mislabel yourself for the comfort of others, and with gender-inclusive housing that pressure isn't there.
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