We, the staff of the Pomona College Women’s Union, support the proposed gender neutral housing policy for second-year students and above.
Recognizing our freedom and our ability to live and choose as independent adults, the proposed policy provides a very basic right to Pomona College students and better meets the needs of all members of the college community.
This policy resonates with the values of the Women’s Union and Pomona College as a whole by subverting the binary system that underlies the past policy that places too much significance on certain aspects of people’s bodies and lives. We feel the past policy was based on certain problematic assumptions about our lifestyles and with whom we choose to share our living spaces. If implemented, we feel the proposed policy change will create and maintain a safe and nourishing space for all community members to grow and learn.
Furthermore, when the Student Affairs Committee begins discussion surrounding the possible implementation of a gender-neutral housing policy for first-year students, members of the Women’s Union staff would love to be able to contribute to this discussion and smooth the process of formulating and forming a consensus around a practical and pragmatic policy that fits well with Pomona’s current first-year housing system.
Women’s Union Staff Spring 2010