The proposal to begin the process of making all residential housing gender neutral, excluding housing already designated “single gender,” will not go into effect in time for the 2006-2007 housing lottery. On Tuesday, the Housing and Dining committee voted to not recommend the proposal to senior administrators.

College junior Ezra Temko and sophomore Colin Koffel’s proposal stipulate a gradual increase in gender-neutral housing until it is all-campus — a goal to be met by the 2016-2017 school year. According to Temko, they still plan to take the proposal to the General Faculty meeting later this month, as well as bring it back before the Housing and Dining Committee for its endorsement. Temko added that the Department of Residential Education and Dining Services was also writing a letter in support of the proposal.

The major concern among committee members was the wording of the proposal, which did not specify whether the switch to gender-neutral dorms would be an option for first-year students.

“It sounds like there are some unresolved issues here,” said Director of Residential Education Molly Tyson. “Everyone has to have the same understanding of what the proposal means.”

While Tyson is not a voting member of the committee, she, along with Director of Business Operations Michele Gross, Assistant Director of Housing Ehrai Adams and Resident Director of South, Talcott and Fairchild, Lauren Silverstein, attended the meeting to act as advisors and participate in the debate. It was ultimately voted on by the student committee members.

Tyson, Gross, Adams and Silverstein all felt that some students would feel uncomfortable in living situations where men and women would be rooming together. They also did not want incoming first-year students to have the option of gender-neutral living unless they were to identify themselves as transgender.

Temko took issue with this.

“We shouldn’t underestimate people’s maturity levels based on age and college experience,” he said. “That seems a little paternalistic.”

Tyson refuted, “I think there are probably sophomores, juniors and seniors who aren’t mature enough either.”

In the end, the student committee members voted not to support the proposal in its current form, opting instead to rearrange the gender-neutral housing for the next academic year so that there will be options on both north and south campus. Currently, all gender-neutral dorm rooms are located in Noah Hall.

Of the seven proposals for immediate redistribution, the committee identified the two proposals they liked the best. One would designate 93 beds in Noah, East, Talcott and South combined; the other would designate 98 beds in Noah, East, Fairchild and South combined.

It is expected that students will see one of these two proposals go into effect in the 2006-2007 academic year.