Open housing will be an option in all upperclassmen dorms during this year’s housing lottery, Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger said on Friday.
Columbia College Interim Dean James Valentini and School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Feniosky Peña-Mora approved a recommendation from the Open Housing Task Force to expand open housing on Friday, Shollenberger said in a statement. Shollenberger noted that the policy will not include Furnald, Hartley, and Wallach halls, all of which house some first-years.
Under the open housing policy, any two upperclassmen can live together in a double, regardless of gender. Shollenberger said that the deans approved open housing after the task force’s “careful review” of the yearlong pilot program, which allowed for gender-neutral housing in six upperclassmen dorms this year.
Avi Edelman, CC ’11, who serves on the Open Housing Task Force and was one of the original authors of the open housing proposal, said he was proud of everyone who has worked on the policy.
“It’s really exciting to see so many hours of work and so much passion from so many students over the course of three years finally result in a campus-wide change that I really think is going to do a lot to make students feel safe and comfortable at Columbia,” Edelman said.
Over the last few years, dozens of schools have adopted some form of gender-neutral housing, including Stanford University, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, and Harvard University.
Ryan Cho, CC ’13, who also serves on the task force and is a resident adviser, said the deans’ approval was expected. He said it was a positive sign for students that they were able to get the policy approved.
“The biggest thing is to make sure residents are comfortable in the living space they have, so this is just another opportunity for students to be comfortable in the spaces they live in,” Cho said.
Barry Weinberg, CC ’12, who is also a member of the task force, called the policy’s finalization “wonderful” and “satisfying.”
“I texted my friend, with whom I was planning on living when I thought the proposal was going through in 2009, and three years later, we finally got it,” Weinberg said. “I just smiled.”
Edelman explained that the task force, in conjunction with the housing office, will now focus on outreach and education about the policy. Members will make sure the housing website lists buildings with open housing and gender-neutral bathrooms, and they will stay in touch with students utilizing the new policy.
Edelman said student support was crucial in pushing for the policy’s approval, noting that almost 1,000 students signed a petition for open housing and that about 20 student groups signed a statement of support for it.
“The spirit of ally-ship and community that really gathered around this is what has gotten this from the initial phase to where it is now,” Edelman said.
He added that open housing shouldn’t work much differently than regular housing.
“It’s the idea that any two students who think they can be compatible roommates should be compatible roommates,” Edelman said. “There’ll just be greater options for students in making that decision.”
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