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April 05, 2005
Spectrum to regain home of its own
Students involved in Spectrum, the GLBT organization on campus, and students concerned with gender and sexuality issues on campus will once again have their own house, one year after their old house was torn down.
The house’s location has not been finalized; it will be one of four houses the university owns in the immediate neighborhood.
Spectrum public relations chair Andrew Cole lived in the Spectrum house with fellow members of the organization and said it was one of the best experiences he’s had at Hamline. However, the university, which owned the house on Hewitt, informed tenants last April that it would be torn down because it was
structurally unsafe.
As compensation, the university opened up space in Manor for GLBT students and students involved in Spectrum. Those who lived in the old Spectrum house had at the time expressed disappointment with the decision.
“It just wasn’t the same,” Cole said. “You can have GLBT areas, but having a Spectrum house gives so much more of a community feeling, where everyone had similar agendas.”
He said he’s happy that the university has assisted Spectrum in finding another house.
This summer, when first-year students receive housing cards, they will see a question asking whether or not they are comfortable living with a GLBT student, a question never previously asked before during room selection.
“This new question was started by a request from members of Spectrum and is designed to help first-year students feel more comfortable by helping us place them with alike roommates,” said Patti Klein, assistant dean and director of Residential Life.
The question is also related to new theme housing on second floor of Drew Hall, which is geared toward three topics: gender and sexuality, social justice, and women’s issues. Adopting this theme was successful because of high student interest, Klein said.
“This new themed housing floor will create more of a community feeling for students dealing with these issues and will create a more conducive living environment.”
Spectrum president Kevin Watson is pleased with the changes.
“Getting a house and a floor dedicated to gender and sexuality issues in one year’s time was quite remarkable,” he said.
He credited it to the good relations and communication he and other Spectrum members have had with Residential Life.
“We just kept the lines of communication open and kept letting Res Life know that having a Spectrum house was really important to us and to Hamline as a whole,” said Watson. “It fell into place really well.”
According to Watson, the Spectrum house and the “Gender and Sexuality” floor in Drew Hall will be
examples of what Hamline’s diversity policy stands for.
Cole agreed: “They will be visible symbols to the entire campus of the university’s dedication to and acceptance of GLBT students.”
Watson said the themed floor and the Spectrum house will also be different regarding who may reside in each place. The house will only be open to people who are actively involved in Spectrum; however, the floor will be open to any student concerned with the issue of gender and sexuality, regardless of their involvement with Spectrum.
Posted by msveum at April 5, 2005 09:01 PM
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