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Office of Residence Life to add language to housing policy for transgender students

By Ariel Black on January 24, 2011 5:30 am in Residence Life / 7 comments

 

At the end of last semester, Robinson Resident Hall Director Bridget Dunigan submitted a proposal to Residence Life supporting gender-neutral housing on campus.

Currently, there is no policy for gender-neutral housing at large on campus. Dunigan’s motive for suggesting the proposal was to benefit certain groups of students on campus, specifically transgender students who are having difficulty with their on-campus living situations.

“This would benefit (transgender students) the most,” Dunigan said, “but other groups such as siblings could find this helpful as well.”

Although Residence Life works with transgender students on an individual basis, the office is working on language that will likely see approval within the next week or two, said Shaun Holtgreive, associate director of Residence Life. This language will indicate to students that Residence Life will work with them to accommodate their needs.

“Central Michigan University doesn’t have a good way to house transgender students, except for making them live alone,” said Macomb freshman and Spectrum member Justin Gawronski. “Michigan State University has been using gender-neutral housing for two years and so far it’s been successful for them.”

Stasi Russell, co-president of Spectrum and a Howell senior, has been a resident assistant for three years. She has witnessed the effects of transgender students being placed in a room alone and agrees with Gawronski that CMU should follow in MSU’s footsteps.

“Many of these students have depression as it is, significantly higher than the straight community, and I see this increase even more when they’re put in a room alone,” Russell said.

Right now, Holtgreive said, CMU takes the same route for transgender students as it does concerning students with disabilities, athletes, international students, and others regarding their housing.

When asked about gender-neutral housing as whole, not specifically for transgender students, Holtgreive said the policy is not headed that way for approval.

“It’s a sensitive topic, and the parent in me knows that I want to make everyone’s experience as positive as I can,” Holtgreive said. “Placing students in residence halls is not as simple as it seems. Everyone comes here with their own personalities and ideas, and we have to make sure the living conditions are comfortable and safe for all of them.”

Dunigan said she recognizes how intimidating it can seem to live with people of the opposite sex, but that it happens off-campus all the time.

“I submitted this proposal not because I identify with the transgender community, but because they need people who specifically do not identify for support as allies,” Dunigan said. “Administration should not have a blanket policy for everyone, but they at least have to say, ‘We hear you,’ in order to help these students.”

Sarah Winchester, political co-chairwoman of Spectrum and Owosso senior, said this week, the RSO will inform the campus of gender-neutral housing facts in the lower level of the Bovee University Center. There will be a petition available for students who support gender-neutral housing to sign.

 

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  • Reggie

    This is absurd. This is driven by leftist activists and not be a genuine need at CMU. I sincerely doubt there is any real problem with transsexuals having difficulty finding housing. And if there is, tell the man to stop wearing women’s clothes, head to a psychologist and a priest, and stop engaging in deviant behavior. I spent four years as an undergraduate and three years as a graduate student at CMU, three of those years in dorms, and never once saw a transsexual. This is a public university and it should not be advocating social engineering. Hopefully, the Board of Trustees will stand up and stop this.

  • guest

    Wow, I like that they didn’t even contact the RSO created specifically for transgender people or anything.

  • Sosohappy

    FINALLY! My roomates two and I (all female) had an extra bed and a gay, male friend who felt uncomfortable in his living situation, and thankfully, my RA and RHD were amazing and let him stay with us. Gender-neutral housing is a step in the right direction for the well-being of marginalized individuals.

  • Nicole

    Your comment is incredibly single minded and callous. Open your eyes, get to know people who are different from yourself. The LGBTQ community is very much apart of our society and to doubt that anyone who may be transgender is having difficulties is incredibly ignorant. Just look at your response to this article, you are telling people that they should be “fixed” or change the behavior that they have been expressing for most of their life. How would you feel if you were placed in a room all by yourself or in a room where you felt threatened or unwanted. I know it may be hard for some people coming from certain backgrounds to be accepting of such “leftist” ideas but at least try and be more understanding and less judgmental. Except the fact that there are ppl and problems outside the little bubble you have created for yourself.

  • Georgiascotsman

    This would be amazingly progressive for the University. Anyone who doesn’t see this a positive, favorable step for CMU should go back to the 17th Century, when burning of people ‘presumed’ to be witches took place. This new policy would not only protect transgender students, but help educate the public as a whole.

  • John

    You can not always tell someone is a transgender by looking at them. They can look all female and yet still have male body parts, which was not their choice its how their body developed and because of this they are forced to live a lone. Are you saying that anyone that is born with a disaffirmation or an impairment should be forced to live alone?

  • John

    This is very much needed, it is sad that the director is taking his personal views into the situation instead of gathering what the students of this generation want. He has been in his position for decades and views things from the past and is out of touch with todays generation. He does not realize how many students go through depression or suicide thoughts because of their living situation when it could be easily solved by being open to new ideas, as long as all parties involved agree.