“Our housing isn’t safe for queer folx. The solution? Housing for queer folx!” This statement, made by Northlawn Residence Director and CJP graduate student Emily Powell, sums up the sentiment behind the Gender Inclusive Housing Proposal put forth by a diverse group of EMU students, staff, and faculty this semester.
The project began back in Spring 2020, but with the COVID-19 shutdown, it was put on pause until the beginning of the fall semester, reinvigorated by new Safe Space members. CODI (Committee on Diversity and Inclusion) then came in to “shepherd” the proposal. Overall, Powell emphasized that this is for the student population, so having student leadership on it was very important.
The proposal is requesting that EMU have a residence space that “will provide a physically and emotionally safe space for the LGBTQ+ population at EMU.” There have been safety concerns voiced by LGBTQ+ students on campus that feel as though they cannot be their authentic selves and cannot express their gender identity within campus housing. A residential space created for the explicit purpose of LGBTQ+ support would “provide safety for those exploring gender transition, those living into non-binaried genders, and to those who embrace the non-cis heteronormative identities that some in our student body carry.”
Logistically, the residential space would be open to those who are over 18 years of age and would not be open for romantic couples to live together. The age is for confidentiality purposes, so that the student would not need to notify their parents of their living situation. The rule against couples is standard practice for undergraduate living spaces.
The current proposal requests one of the pods in Cedarwood be used for this purpose. There would be no additional staffing needs, as the CA that would normally be in charge of that space would be sufficient. Because of the nature of the LGBTQ+-supportive space, there is also consideration that it may be a safe space for LGBTQ+ students that do not live on this hall at certain hours of the day. The space would begin as a pod and possibly expand to a larger area based on student needs.
This proposal is not anything new for a standard university; however, because EMU is a Christian institution, there is anticipated pushback. There are some that doubt the safety concerns for the students or some that question that validity of having such a space on campus. To this, the proposal brings up the issue of retention, stating that, “the lack of inclusive housing space has been listed as a retention and recruitment concern by multiple students and staff.” Therefore, this is an issue that, if solved in some regard, would bring more students into EMU and keep them at EMU.
As for what the student body can do, junior Hannah Leaman said, “the reason I’m involved in this is because I care about our LGBTQ+ students, including the ones coming after me. I want to see a burn in people’s hearts to see our LGBTQ+ students feel safe and loved.”
If you feel inclined to support this project, there is a QR code attached to this article, from which you can access the full proposal.
