Vernacular change alert! Gender Neutral Housing will now be called Open Housing, and you better believe it has a task force. We’ve confirmed the makeup and goals of the task force with Dean Shollenberger’s office, and here’s what we found out. The Task Force (that’s right, uppercase as in Official) will be working on a pilot program for the 2011-2012, which will affect the the mysterious 2014ers picking into doubles more than their 2013 and 2012 elders. It will be divided into committees (cant stop wont stop committes 2010!) which will meet over the summer. The committees will focus on implementing a program, education and research about Open Housing, and potential logistical issues. The idea is to have a proposal ready for Deans Moody-Adams and Pena-Mora by mid-September. The official goals of the Task Force are outlined as follows:

• In keeping with the spirit of the proposal’s intent, the Task Force will propose “pilot” educational programs that will promote open housing as a means for individuals to select safe and comfortable living situations (this may include suggested changes to the lottery information sessions and tours as well as broader community dialogs).
• The Task Force will explore and make recommendations for “provisional” language in the housing contracts as well as “pilot” roll-out materials.
• The Task Force will submit recommendations for the best Housing facilities to pilot the program.
• The Task Force will propose a timeline and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the “pilot” program to determine whether the program should be expanded or discontinued.

The Task Force is made up of Heidi Ahmed, ESC Rep and SEAS ’11, Katherine Bell SEAS ’12, Sonal Bothra RA Rep and CC ’12, Avi Edelman Gender Neutral Housing Proposal Co-author and CC ’11, Sean Manning Udell CC Rep CC’11, Sarah Weiss CCSC VP of Policy, Alumni Rep, Gender Neutral Housing Proposal Co-author and CC ’10, as well as Joyce Jackson, Cristen Kromm (Asst. Dean of Community Development and Res Programs), Terry Martinez (Dean of Community Development & Multicultural Affairs), Lea Robinson (Manager of LGBTQ Advising and Programming), and Kevin Shollenberger.

Bwog checked in with Avi Edelman to ask how the first Open Housing meeting went. His thoughts: “One of the reasons the delay of the implementation of gender-neutral housing was so disappointing was that those of us who were proposing it felt, and continue to feel, that allowing any two consenting students to room together is a simple and commonsensical step, and hardly a major policy shift that merits the cautious approach of a task force. That said, I am truly thrilled that students and administrators are coming together to see this policy through, and I’m extremely optimistic about the task force…”

Until the next round, boys and girls!

Delivering the petition to the dean

The push for gender neutral housing made some progress this school year, but those in favor of it say there obviously needs more to be done. To bring attention to this issue once more, Everyone Allied Against Homophobia today officially presented a petition, signed by over 900 Columbia students and endorsed by 20 campus organizations, to Deans Moody-Adams, Peña-Mora, and Shollenberger stating their case.

The statement by EAAH in the petition’s letter expresses “disappointment over the lack of progress this year” and feelings of being “stuck in the mud;” however, it also conveys gratitude to the Columbia administration for taking the initiative this far.  You can read the entire petition here (PDF).

The timing of the delivery of this petition is related to the fact that the first official Open Housing Meeting is taking place next Tuesday, May 11. Be sure to check back for further updates.

Though the Engineering Student Council began the process of Constitutional Review yesterday evening, it was preceded by a normal meeting. Grad Student dramz, Gender Neutral Housing, and so on. Sean Zimmermann reports, with help from Heidi Ahmed.

Timur Dykhne and Arseniy Kukanov of Engineering Graduate Student Council proposed splitting the two Engineering senate seats – currently, as both schools are under the same Dean, they are considered to be the same school, and therefore graduate students compete with undergraduates for senate seats. Undergraduate Senator Rajat Roy believes the initiative “is a personal affront to Cherie and me,” and explained that both he and Cherie have attended all EGSC meetings that did not conflict with Senate. Members of the council also explained that since there are more engineering grad students than undergrads, if they are unable to motivate their constancy to back them, then they should not be rewarded for their students’ inaction. In a vote held during last night’s meeting, the council was in favor of leaving the senate seats as they are.

President Green reported that the reason the administration postponed Gender-Neutral Housing Initiative was that the administration wants to know how the proposal “will affect other [non-LGBTQ] communities” She also commented that the administration wants to “develop more of a concrete information base for visitors and prospies and parents.”

The council voted that whoever is elected for VP policy during this coming E-Board election will assume the “de-facto” role of VP policy for the rest of the semester until they are officially given the title next year. This would fill the open position, and also enable to the person to develop experience before receive the title officially next semester.

Following Columbia administration’s decision to postpone the implementation of a gender neutral housing policy that was expected to be in place for the 2010-2011 academic year, the students who introduced the plan – EAAH President Avi Edelman (CC ’11) GendeRevolution President Miranda Elliot (CC ’10), 2011 VP Sean Udell (CC ’11) and 2010 VP for Policy Sarah Weiss (CC ’10) – have been circulating a petition to address the administration’s concern that there may not be enough student support for the new housing policy.

Avi Edelman answers a few of Bwog’s questions.

Why do you think the administration decided against implementing the policy, or even a pilot program for this year’s selection process? What reasons did they give for the decision (other than their worries that not enough students were in favor of it)?

A lot of the reasons given for the delay were logistical–updating the housing application, educating the student body about the changes, and getting feedback from students about the policy were all mentioned. That’s extremely frustrating and disappointing, because the proposal was submitted according to a timeline established in consultation with administrators. Those of us who worked on the proposal (a broad coalition that included CCSC, ESC, Everyone Allied Against Homophobia, GendeRevolution, and the Columbia Queer Alliance) also made it very clear that we were eager to assist the administration in the logical work necessary to make this happen in time for this year’s room selection. Many administrators that we have worked with have been fantastic, and I am confident that the policy will eventually become reality; this is just a classic case of bureaucratic foot-dragging.

More answers after the jump!

Read more…

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…the latest news from Student Government!

CCSC: VP for Campus Life Deysy Ordonez outlined the much-anticipated schedule for College Days, the CC version of E-Week, which will start April 9. Among the highlights: all College Days events, including King’s Ball, will be completely free, Tuesday will see a live broadcast of Glee on Low Plaza, and, since College Days overlaps with Restaurant Week, the council has negotiated special low prices during the week for Columbia students.

After the free food-induced applause died down, the council received updates on Gender Neutral Housing and Study Days. VP for Policy Sarah Weiss told the council, “”I was disappointed, and I know my [policy] committee was disappointed” at the administration’s decision to delay Gender Neutral Housing for a year, adding that some administrators may have suggested more support for this than they actually gave.

Academic calendar update and ESC after the jump! Read more…

The rumors are both true and false, we guess: gender neutral housing will not be an option for the 2010-2011 housing year. Bwog chatted with Sean Udell, VP of CC 2011 and Treasurer of CQA, about the decision from the deans, and what the plan is going forward.

While the decision to not allow gender neutral housing to be part of housing next year should put the New York Post at ease, it also disrupts a lot of housing plans less than two weeks before registration. Echoing a similar attitude, Udell, CC ’11, expressed his disappointment about the decision, as well as his general frustration after having attended “zillions” of meetings pushing the gender neutral policy in the fall semester so that it might be approved for this upcoming housing lottery. Deans were encouraging, and some even “expressed privately that this was something that was going to happen, and was widely supported.”

The momentum for a gender neutral housing policy began at Barnard a few years ago, and Udell and fellow CCSC member Learned Foote, CC ’11, started “testing the waters” at Columbia in April 2009. “The CCSC administration was very supportive” of the initiative, and almost a full year of negotiations and policy-crafting followed. So what happened?

Read more…

You can’t live in sin next year. Stay tuned to Bwog for more coverage.

Cigarettes will no longer be allowed to be called “light,” but will instead be conveniently color-coded. (NYT)

A J-School alum was just named Times National Editor. (NYT)

CU Researchers find that pretending to be happy is good for you (Daily News)

There’s been a lot of ink spent in the off-campus press on the recent gender-neutral housing proposal, but most of it has ignored one targeted community: trans students. But gender-neutral housing is just one of several issues facing the trans community at Columbia. From the new issue of the Blue and White, hitting a magazine rack near you soon, Gavin McGown explains.

On a wet night this October, more than 200 students filed into a transformed Lerner Party Space. Screens had been hung in front of the windows and, beneath darkened house lights, glowsticks and pink ribbons added flashes of color. Some partygoers raved to pulsing music on an impromptu stage on the dance floor while others lounged on couches scattered across the room. With most clothing only optional—“Drag, underwear, or whatever makes you feel sexy” was the dress code—the scent of bodies filled the air.

This was GenderFuck, the crowning event of Queer Awareness Month’s Trans Week and the brainchild of Miranda Elliot, CC ’10 and co-chair of Queer Awareness Month 2009 committee. Elliot proposed the ideas for Trans Week and GenderFuck two years ago after noticing a lack of transgender-focused campus programming. “A lot of trans people I know here say that they feel like the only trans person here, so I wanted to help change that,” she said.

Elliot’s interest in the issue also led her to co-found the University’s first transgender advocacy group, GendeRevolution, which sought to fill the gaps between existing campus queer support and the needs of the transgender community. Soon after followed a partnership with QuAM, opening the door for the incorporation of  events like Trans Week and GenderFuck, beginning in 2008. “Before we existed there wasn’t a group that was specifically dedicated to transsexual identity and advocacy,” says Liz Lamoste, CC ’10 and a board member of GendeRevolution. “You could say, ‘Well, trans is covered in every queer group,’ but we know that’s not the case.” Though transgender issues may have found expression within the campus queer community through the voice of GendeRevolution, Elliot and others say the work of transgender activism is just beginning.

Read more…

Hey now, it looks like we’re created enough noise to attract the attention of Dr. Ruth, renowned sex therapist. In a recent article written for the New York Post, she gets in on the action (in a manner of speaking) and shares her thoughts on the recent developments involving coed dorms at Columbia. She criticizes the proposed policy and calls it a “handicap” in the process of young people discovering themselves. She claims that it will make students who “do not have steady partners are going to feel bad.” …As if they don’t feel bad already.

Dr. Ruth’s alternative solution? “Set aside some rooms with locked doors where students can go to have a couple of hours of privacy.” An intriguing idea, to be sure, until you consider how these rooms would be cleaned, and the sheer psychological grossness of some other couple waiting outside for you to finish. As a suitemate of the Bwog Editor put it, “it’s like music practice rooms: nice in theory, but you can still hear them.”

But hey, maybe if we gain enough attention, we’ll get other forms of advice from her too.

Photo: New York Post

The Post will not stand idly by while we crazy college kids “live in sin!” (NYPost)

But at least your gender-neutral room is bigger than this apartment. (NYPost)

Harry Potter dominates college tour rhetoric, frustrates really serious about college–you know, like, academically–high schoolers. (NYTimes)

Really new media takes the lead on Tiger Woods: video game news! (NYTimes)

And New Jersey doesn’t care much for “Jersey Shore,” the new and totally unfair! MTV series. (NYT ArtsBeat)