Living under one roof
Seperating students based on sexuality is out of the question
This week the Student Government Association proposed that a new question be added to the Central Michigan University Residence Life roommate questionnaire. The effort was shot down almost as soon as it began.
The new question would have asked students living on campus to voice whether or not they feel comfortable sharing a room with a student who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, intersex, asexual or queer.
Executive Director of Campus Life Shaun Holtgreive said the change will not be made to the questionnaire, and CMU will never make students self disclose.
In addition, Holtgreive explained, CMU already has a system in place to accommodate, on an individual level, LGBTQ students who want to live in gender-neutral housing.
The proposed question would not necessarily pair LGBTQ individuals with roommates who share the same lifestyle, which defeats the purpose of asking it.
The SGA issued an apology Tuesday to those the proposal may have offended.
“While its intent was admirable, the inclusion of such a question would have many unforeseen, negative consequences on Central Michigan University,” reads an e-mailed statement from SGA President Charles Mahone.
This proposal should never have made it past the brainstorming stage.
The proposal was developed, and approved, by the previous SGA administration, according to the SGA statement.
CMU prides itself on being an inclusive institution that promotes and celebrates diversity. How, then, would it seem like a good idea to craft a proposal that seems to contradict that mission? The fact that such a counterproductive idea made it past the drawing board worries us, and it should worry the current SGA.
To be fair, the SGA’s heart was in the right place. The question aims to separate homophobic individuals from those who identify as LGBTQ and, in theory, minimize hostility and stress. The ramifications of the proposal, however, are painfully obvious.
The question implies that LGBTQ individuals are obliged to disclose their sexual preference as a matter of formality when applying to live on campus. Considering the sensitivity of the issue and all the unfortunate stigmas surrounding it, many LGBTQ students would understandably be apprehensive to disclose such information.
Students attend CMU to further their education and life experiences. Beyond the textbooks and lectures, students move away from home and go to universities to develop socially, which is arguably the most integral component of college life. People who cannot handle living with someone different than themselves are not ready for college, much less the real world.
We trust the SGA to continue to lead CMU by virtue of acceptance and openness to all student voices, regardless of the identities behind them. We hope this misstep will serve only as a reminder that CMU embraces all walks of life, endorsing actions and ideas that work toward the cause, while castigating those that do not.
