Last March, I celebrated the passing of MSU’s flexible housing program with a heavy heart. Although I believe that a gender-neutral housing program absolutely is necessary at our campus for the protection of its students, I could not deny my apprehension.
The flexible housing program is wrought with problems that might very well cause its failure. Many universities choose to call their gender-neutral housing program exactly what it is, a “gender-neutral housing program,” but MSU chose a much vaguer title, which many students whom I’ve spoken to misunderstand.
The title of MSU’s program suggests something other than a gender-neutral policy. One student I spoke with thought it allowed people to leave their housing contract with the university partway through the year. Others had no idea what it was — and most of these very same people knew what a gender-neutral housing policy was.
The name itself is misleading and ambiguous, and the program has had little space allocated to it on MSU’s campus living website, liveon.msu.edu. It is not even featured in the frequently asked questions section or in the features section dedicated to the halls with the gender-neutral option, Wonders and McDonel.
Secondly, the program only is permitted for students of sophomore status and above. This is significant because the only class required to live on campus is freshmen, and yet they are excluded from this privilege. Freshmen likely need the program the most.
These students are fresh from their homes and high schools and have come to the university to redefine themselves. Without access to the gender-neutral policy, some students who identify as LBGT might not feel secure in the typical dorm room setup. This could result in unnecessary issues for these students that distract from their schoolwork.
If sophomores, juniors or seniors felt this way, they could choose to live off campus, but freshmen do not have this option. Instead, they are forced to live on campus and to conform to a binary system that they may not feel comfortable in. As a result, the program does not help those who need it the most.
Lastly, MSU’s significant housing crisis threatens the survivability of this program. This year is the first year every resident mentor on campus must take a roommate, and the dorms are at maximum capacity. For the eight students who chose to opt into the flexible housing program this year, they must share the floor with students who might or might not agree with the policy.
This pollutes the space that the flexible housing program was aimed to create: a safe zone. Because space is in such high demand, the flexible housing program risks failure.
I hope for success for the new policy, but changes must be made to ensure its survival on Michigan State’s campus so we can be a model for future policies at other campuses across the nation.
Courtney Bonner, social relations and policy junior
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