Columbia to extend coed housing

The non-gender-specific room assignment proposal may still be under discussion at Penn, but its supporters are pointing to Columbia University as an example of this policy's success.

Currently at Columbia, students may live in suites with members of the opposite sex, and the university is planning to extend the policy to include single-bedroom apartments next year.

"We are working to expand this to one-bedroom apartments where many students separate the beds into living room and bedroom, thus making it two separate bedrooms," Columbia Housing Services Assistant Director Rob Lutomski wrote in an e-mail interview. "We have no plans at this time to allow coed habitation of the same room."

Columbia students said that they find non-gender-specific room assignment policies to be well suited to the living style of many residents and that they do not recall any instance where this policy was contested.

"It's not even an issue. I never thought about it one way or the other," Columbia senior Alissa Smith said. "There is a large proportion of people living in suites. I know plenty of people who have made use of it."

Other students echoed this feeling, saying that the policy accommodates couples who want to live together, as well as gay students who feel uncomfortable living with classmates of the same sex.

"It's definitely possible to make it work," Columbia freshman Victoria Loustalot said, adding that if for some reason the living arrangements are not suitable anymore -- because of breakups or incompatibility between roommates -- "it's easy to switch rooms or be relocated."

Columbia housing administrators said this policy is long-standing.

"We do allow, and have allowed since 1989, coed suite occupancy," Lutomski wrote. "Included in our suite space are multiple-occupancy suites with single and double rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, living/dining areas, as well as two-bedroom apartments and two-room suites."

"These can be occupied by opposite gender groups of two. Any suite that has coed occupancy has no rule about specific room assignments within the suite. As long as each student has [his or her] 'own' bedroom space, suites can be coed. And all coed suites have coed bathrooms."

Columbia became coed in 1983. Such a late integration of females at the school was due to the close proximity of Barnard College. To this day, students from both schools can take classes in either institute and reside in either dorm system.

The only caveat to this free-flow of students is that Barnard and Columbia students cannot live together.

Columbia freshman Alper Bahadir was planning to live with his girlfriend from Barnard next year, but he was unable to do so because of this policy and had to make alternative arrangements.

Despite the possibility of initial discomfort with the idea of non-gender-specific room assignment, Smith said Penn students would have little problem adapting.

"People are in college -- if stuff is going to happen, it's going to happen," Smith said. "Guys are in girls' rooms anyway, [so] you might as well let them live" together in the same suites.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.