Student Assembly

R. 3 Resolution Requesting the Implementation of Gender-Neutral Housing in the Residence Halls

Whereas, in accordance to the Preamble of the Student Assembly Charter: “the President, through the authority granted him by the Board of Trustees, hereby establishes this Charter for the Student Assembly of Cornell University.”

Whereas, in accordance to Article 2.3.a of the SA Charter: “should the President disapprove the amendments affected by this section, the President will present a detailed verbal or written report to the SA indicating the reasons for disapproval. The report will be presented within thirty (30) days of receipt of the proposed amendments by the President.”

Whereas, the President of the University has granted the SA the power to pursue all actions which are in accordance with the SA charter;

Whereas, in accordance to Article 1.1 of the SA Charter: “The SA will have legislative authority over the policies of the Department of Campus Life”

Whereas, in accordance to Article 1.3 of the SA Charter: “The SA will have the authority and the responsibility to examine any matters which involve the interests or concern the welfare of the student community and to make proposals concerning those issues to the appropriate officers or decision-making bodies of the University”

Whereas, a student should have the privilege to preference any other student they feel the most comfortable living with, regardless of gender;

Whereas, Cornell students will be able to attain a greater understanding of gender-related issues by living in gender-neutral housing arrangements;

Whereas, coeducation housing leads to a brotherly-sisterly environment that fosters a community;

Whereas, mixed gender housing brings greater equity to education and provides students the necessary preparation for the mixed gender world;

Whereas, Cornellians already have the option of living off-campus with roommates of the opposite gender, whereas it is only a manner of traditionalist practice that Cornellians cannot live with members of the opposite gender in the Residence Halls;

Whereas, current Residence Hall policy discriminates with the assumption that heterosexuality is universal, instead of allowing students who would feel more comfortable living with members of the opposite gender;

Whereas, members of the LGBTQ community already have the option of rooming with their significant others at Cornell and face the consequences if their relationship ends; thus creating a gender-neutral policy would only universalize this practice for everyone;

Whereas, Residence Halls offers a safe community where multiple resources including Resident Advisors, Graduate Resident Fellows, and Resident Hall Directors are available for undergraduates who might face unforeseeable conflicts that might arise when living with close friends. Thus students who decide to live off campus because of the lack of gender-neutral housing options at Cornell will not be provided the beneficial environment of a Residence Hall;

Whereas, that there is a widespread unwritten rule among Residence Halls of the prohibition of promiscuity in the hall. Most students would never date anyone on their floor for the fear of a failed relationship. College students understand the consequences of entering a relationship in such a close proximity;

Whereas, while data is not available for coeducation housing, research shows that all male living units tends to promote the objectification of women;

Whereas, a society constructed on gender difference will only exacerbate sexual misunderstanding between the each other;

Whereas, the prevalence of homophobia among men is staggering in today’s culture. From a statistical study, the greatest concern among men in high school is how other men will judge their image. And the most common put-down phrase in high school is “that’s so gay.” A man must constantly act masculine to other guys in order to reassure himself that he is not “weak.” Coed housing allows males to break outside this cultural barrier and embrace a non-gender perspective;

Whereas, with respect to Cornell’s mission statement on diversity and inclusiveness, Cornell has a responsibility to create a housing system that is gender-neutral that is inclusive to all communities of Cornell;

Whereas, over 20 colleges and universities throughout the country offer some form of gender-neutral housing currently, including Dartmouth and Harvard. It is time for Cornell to embrace such a proposal;

Be it therefore resolved the suites (apartment style living units) in Carl Becker, Alice Cook, and Hans Bethe House along with the future suites planned at Cornell will be considered gender-neutral beginning in the fall of 2008 with the following stipulations

1. All participating students are non-freshmen and are over the age of 18;
   
2. Students who block with members of the same gender but do not have enough students in their group to fill all the rooms in the suite, or students who choose to live in suites individually will be prompted the question: “Would you prefer to live with members of the same gender as you, or do you have no preference?” If a student answers “same gender,” then the suite will be designated as either male or female depending on the student’s gender on the Cornell database. Thus, future students who choose to live in these suites must be the same gender as the other students.
   
   
3. When two students of the opposite gender have chosen the same suite, the suite will be designated as “coed;”
   
4. Residence Halls may aim to keep a certain quota of men and women for the building as a whole and for individual halls, but the lottery system should be constructed to prevent signifying suites as “male” or “female” as much as possible.

Be it further resolved, that select non-single rooms on west campus beginning in the fall of 2008 will be designated as gender neutral with the following stipulations:

1. All participating students are non-freshmen and are over the age of 18;
   
2. All students involved must agree to living with each other

Be it finally resolved, that the implementation of gender-neutral housing will be further studied by the SA in the 2008–2009 academic year

Respectively Submitted,

Vincent Hartman ‘08
Arts & Sciences Representative