Update: SLC furthers co-ed room discussion

Cole-Newkirk unable to attend meeting

The Student Life Committee (SLC) met Friday afternoon with the hopes of making headway on Student Senate's co-ed housing proposal or dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk's co-ed housing proposal before the end of the academic year.

At Friday's meeting, the SLC had planned to hear Cole-Newkirk speak on her proposal, which she introduced at its April 26 meeting. But Cole-Newkirk was unable to attend the meeting due to "an emergency situation," according to Director of Residential Life Deb McNish.

McNish pointed out that any decision made now would not be feasible for next year. "Every day [SLC] mulls this over we lose some more people who'd take a certain option because the housing assignments are going on now," McNish said.

The Senate's co-ed housing proposal recommends that students, on a limited basis, be allowed to live with roommates of the opposite gender in selected residence halls and only in divided doubles or quads. Students under the age of 18 would not be eligible for this housing option, nor would students be randomly placed with roommates of the opposite sex.

Cole-Newkirk's proposal recommends that a dorm be reconfigured and renovated to include co-ed suites, which would be available for housing by fall 1997.

In Cole-Newkirk's absense, the committee discussed her proposal. After some deliberation, Chris Howell, professor of politics and SLC member, said on behalf on the committee: "The SLC thinks [the proposal] is interesting and we look forward to working with Student Life on the strategic planning process concerning Residential Life at Oberlin next year."

President Nancy Dye will discuss with Cole-Newkirk the possibility of implementing a co-ed living plan within the next two years, according to Diana Roose, special assistant to the president.

Dye has said that the money to reconfigure a residence hall over the summer does not exist, according to Howell.

The committee also discussed a meeting Student Senate had with Dye on Wednesday in which co-ed housing was brought up. Members suggested the SLC refrain from making a co-ed housing related decision if the Senate was negotiating with the administration on the same issue.

After its meeting with Dye, Senators were more willing than before to work in conjunction with the administration as long as their efforts would produce some form of co-ed housing option within the next year or so. "Our goal [at the meeting with Dye] was to try and hope to get one section of co-ed rooms by the fall or the spring of next year," said sophomore Ramy Khalil, who attended the meeting as an ex-senator and ex-SLC member.

Student representatives expressed apprehension about the Senate proposal's chances before GF. "I think everybody thinks it's better to not see this go in front of GF," said senator junior Chapin Benninghoff.

Howell said the Senate proposal is "in the process of being tweaked" by SLC members. He suggested holding it over the summer as a live proposal and discussing it further next year.

Chair of the SLC and Professor of Chemistry Michael Nee pointed out that the SLC would be made up of different members next year. Nee said he wanted to be sure new members would not have to wade through too much of what had been discussed by this year's SLC.

The committee then talked about differences between Senate and Cole-Newkirk's proposal.

"[Cole-Newkirk's proposal] would enable co-ed arrangements to happen in a transitional way," Assistant to the President Diana Roose said.