Housing

All of the R.A.s and HLECs (Housing Loose Ends Coordinators for OSCA co-ops, essentially R.A.s for the co-ops) are required to go through trans allyship training. This training teaches basic trans terminology and how to be a good trans ally.

Freshman Housing Application

In the application, there is a blank for gender, and a pull down tab that asks for your preference concerning the gender of your roommate. ResEd should call or email you (you get to pick the method of communication) if the gender on this form and your assigned sex are not the same, to confirm the preferred gender of your roommate. The phone call or email, however, is a guideline, and not official policy, so this communication may not happen. ResEd mostly tries to match people based on cleanliness standards, sleep schedule, and smoking habits. When assigning roommates to program houses, ResEd assigns people who have similar interests and goals for their contribution to the theme of the house.

Safe Space Housing

To learn more about safe spaces, read the MRC’s definition here.

Afrikan Heritage House is a Res Ed dorm that is a safe space for residents and students of the African Diaspora. Apply here!

Baldwin Cottage is a Res Ed dorm that is a safe space for cis women and transgender students. Apply here!

The Edmonia Lewis Center is a Res Ed Village House that is a safe space for cis women and transgender students. Students must have four semesters in residence to apply for Village Housing. Apply here!

Old Barrows is an OSCA-run housing coop, established as a safe space in Fall 2015. Their safe space policy, as defined by OSCA is:

Old Barrows housing is a safe space for students who may feel oppressed due to their gender. The space serves primarily trans students, with a focus on trans women and trans feminine people. It also serves as a space for gender nonconforming people and other trans people (including non-binary people). Cis women are allowed into the house as the lowest priority, after trans people and gender nonconforming people.”

For more information about the house and the Old Barrows application visit its OSCA page here.

Third World House is  a safe space for anyone who identifies as a marginalized person including people of color, first generation college students, low income students, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning and transgender students. Apply here!

Housing Through ResEd

Most housing is all-gender, meaning that any student can live with any other student, regardless of gender. There are, however, three all women’s halls: the first floor of Barrows (a first year dorm), the second floor of South (a traditional dorm), and one wing of Asia House (a program house). If you feel uncomfortable living in your hall due to gender identity or expression, contact your area coordinator, who can move you to a different room, hall, or building.

Accommodations can be made through the Office of Disability Services to live in a single. These accommodations can be made for people who recently have had surgery, or otherwise need a space to themselves for physical or mental health reasons.

Bathroom Policy

This is the official bathroom policy, according to the Oberlin ResEd website:

“Prior to students voting for bathroom designations, the following will occur: Residence halls with two bathrooms must designate at least one bathroom as an E system bathroom.”

E System bathrooms have signs with a capital “E” velcroed onto the bathroom door. When the sign is turned to E, the bathroom is open to everyone. When the E is turned counterclockwise, it looks like a W, and the bathroom is temporarily for women. When the sign is turned counterclockwise again, it looks like a 3, which stands for “Me, Myself, and I,” which makes the bathroom a temporary single. When it is turned counterclockwise again, the E looks like an M and is temporarily for men. The sign can only be turned when no one is currently in the bathroom, and must be changed back to E when the bathroom is empty again. All-gender bathrooms, on the other hand are permanently open to all genders.

“Halls with three bathrooms must have one bathroom designated as all-gender/E system and the other two bathrooms must be male/female until the bathroom vote occurs.

Halls with more than three bathrooms should follow the same guidelines as halls with three bathrooms, but should look to designate an equal number of each type of bathroom throughout the building in such away as to allow easy access for all students to the bathroom designation of their choice.

All halls should have good signage throughout the building that indicates where the bathrooms are and their designation.  In addition, the signage should explain the E-system if it is being used.

Bathroom voting: Bathroom votes should occur during the first floor meetings once all students have returned to campus and should be revisited in a meeting one month after opening (beginning of October) and at the start of spring semester.  Students may request to re-vote on bathroom designations at any time by contacting their RA.

All voting must be anonymous and will be completed by utilizing the ballot created by the Office of Residential Education in conjunction with the Transgender Advocacy Group.

On the ballot, students will be asked to mark any bathroom designations that they would be comfortable with.  Bathrooms will be designated in such a way as to make the smallest number of students uncomfortable, while ensuring that every student has at least one bathroom that they are able to use.”

It should be emphasized that voting on bathroom designation is not majority rules. The needs of every student are taken into consideration, thus everyone will have a bathroom on their residence hall that they are comfortable using.

OSCA

OSCA, the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, provides alternate housing and dining options for students at Oberlin (more information about OSCA can be found here). It  has its own transgender inclusion housing policy which states:

“Housing and dining co-ops have at least one gender-neutral bathroom.

OSCA gives singles priority to trans* people who feel uncomfortable living with a roommate

OSCA removes all references to biological sex from its paperwork, instead allowing people to self-identify their gender, which will be reflected in OSCA’s paperwork.”

OSCA also gives priority to people with disabilities who need a single.

Off-Campus Living

Obtaining consent for off-campus living is difficult (students have to meet certain criteria, found here).