Catholic Univ Sued For Same Sex Dorms

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='Basilisa Marie' timestamp='1310952519' post='2269050']
Separate buildings. And most have 2-3 beds in each room, with a shared bathroom for the floor. That's what most US colleges mean when they say "dorm-style" housing.

.
[/quote]


Ah, thats simply not a situation you would get here, its all single rooms now and has been for a long time - when I was looking at uni my college did have a few shared rooms still but only twins and it was the last year they were offered. As it was a ladies college it was all single sex!

[4588686]

How does he have standing?

[HopefulBride]

[quote name='Hasan' timestamp='1310957955' post='2269133']
How does he have standing?
[/quote]

He doesn't, at least it doesn't seem so....

[Maximilianus]

[quote name='Hasan' timestamp='1310957955' post='2269133']
How does he have standing?
[/quote]

I would like to know this as well.

[Basilisa Marie]

[quote][font="Arial, sans-serif"]John Banzhaf, who has won more than 100 sex-discrimination legal actions under the D.C. Human Rights Act, has issued an intent-to-sue legal notice to Catholic University.[/font][font="Arial, sans-serif"][size="3"]The District's anti-discrimination law prohibits any discrimination based directly or indirectly upon sex unless it is strictly necessary for the entity to remain in business. The intent-to-sue notices asks Catholic University to provide any legal arguments and authority they may have that forcing students to live in sex-segregated dormitories would not constitute illegal sex discrimination under the Act.[/size]

[/font][/quote]


From here: [url="http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/dc/catholic-university-going-back-to-single-sex-dorms-062011"]http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/dc/catholic-university-going-back-to-single-sex-dorms-062011[/url]

Ah...this might be where he's getting his standing.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Basilisa Marie

[HopefulBride]

[quote name='Basilisa Marie' timestamp='1310962567' post='2269204']
From here: [url="http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/dc/catholic-university-going-back-to-single-sex-dorms-062011"]http://www.myfoxdc.c...ex-dorms-062011[/url]

Ah...this might be where he's getting his standing.
[/quote]

I don't see how that gives him standing. How is it discrimination to mandate single sex dorms? Are they being discriminated against when it comes to their "right' to live in co-ed dorms?

[Basilisa Marie]

[quote name='HopefulBride' timestamp='1310962888' post='2269209']
I don't see how that gives him standing. How is it discrimination to mandate single sex dorms? Are they being discriminated against when it comes to their "right' to live in co-ed dorms?
[/quote]


In theory (devil's advocate here), Catholic U needs to have single gender floors or suites to remain in business, because there are no coed bathrooms. One might argue that expanding that to entire dorms is excessive.

But I don't see how there's any way that he'll win on that. Designating a building for female resides would effectively turn all the bathrooms into women's bathrooms, and vice versa. Having separate living spaces for genders, in whatever form, is part of having a residential college. Unless all the men are given substandard living spaces compared to the women (for example), I'm not sure how any judge can really take this seriously.

[CatherineM]

Are they being forced to live in the dorms? My college didn't force anyone. There is the option of living off-campus. The big issue is that some parents won't pay for off campus apartments or houses. They think dorms are safer, cheaper, and keep their kids under control better.

[Ice_nine]

this guy sounds like a major arse portal

Imagine if he put all that effort into, I dunno, fighting real discrimination?

[Deus te Amat]

[quote name='Basilisa Marie' timestamp='1310963655' post='2269220']
In theory (devil's advocate here), Catholic U needs to have single gender floors or suites to remain in business, because there are no coed bathrooms. One might argue that expanding that to entire dorms is excessive.

[/quote]

Just so you know, more and more colleges are going with "gender neutral" bathrooms. The college I'm doing research at this summer has them, and so (apparently) does Cornell, Berkeley (to be expected), and others.



Most secular summer of my life.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Deus_te_Amat

[4588686]

I still don't see how he would have standing unless he was actually a student living in the dorms.


UNC has single-sex floors. There is one dorm that is arguable single sex in that the building is divided by on open air common area and each side of the area houses a single sex. It's a pretty secular school and I've never heard of anyone having a problem with it. It's not like your social life is tied to you hall. Unless it's your first week of your first year.

[Archaeology cat]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1310949570' post='2268985']
By dorms do you mean seperate rooms? Like we call Halls of residence? If so I don't see that mixed or single-sex would make any difference at all, peple will do what they are going to do regardless. If dorm means the same as here (ie rooms with lots of beds) then yes I would agree with single sex.
[/quote]
Yeah, it's set up different than in the UK. At my uni (in Indiana), there were 3 single-sex dorms, 1 completely co-ed dorm (where it wasn't segregated by floor), and 2 co-ed dorms that were segregated by floor. They also had a number of apartments and houses. In the single-sex dorms, there were curfews so that visitors couldn't be in after a certain time, but I don't know how much that was enforced.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='CatherineM' timestamp='1310964072' post='2269224']
Are they being forced to live in the dorms? My college didn't force anyone. There is the option of living off-campus. The big issue is that some parents won't pay for off campus apartments or houses. They think dorms are safer, cheaper, and keep their kids under control better.
[/quote]
I always thought Freshmen were expected to live on campus unless they were commuting from home.

[Papist]

So basically, the guy is suing common sense.

[sixpence]

lol .... my dorms were always co-ed ... of course each individual room was single sex.. of course plenty of member of both sexes walking in and out of the bathrooms in just towels... meh..

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='Deus_te_Amat' timestamp='1310970098' post='2269265']
Just so you know, more and more colleges are going with "gender neutral" bathrooms. The college I'm doing research at this summer has them, and so (apparently) does Cornell, Berkeley (to be expected), and others.



Most secular summer of my life.
[/quote]

Personally, I'd expect a Catholic college to have single-sex dorms. I doubt the college requires students to live in a dorm, so the student has the option to live off campus. And, it's not as if a student is REQUIRED to attend that college in the first place.

FYI--The secular schools that have coed dorms, coed floors, and yes, sometimes coed bathrooms, and now, at some schools, coed rooms, virtually all offer students the option of same sex-buildings or at least same-sex floors or wings. If a college can't give a student a dorm option that fits what the student feels comfortable with, the student can go to college somewhere else. But, even secular colleges offer single-sex dorms or floors because some students want them for religious reasons, and the school wants to accomodate the wishes/requirements of those students.

Edited July 18, 2011 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[Azriel]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' timestamp='1310988288' post='2269322']
I always thought Freshmen were expected to live on campus unless they were commuting from home.
[/quote]


I think this is the case in most large universities, but possibly not across the board. Its certainly what you hear more of.

[BG45]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' timestamp='1310988288' post='2269322']
I always thought Freshmen were expected to live on campus unless they were commuting from home.
[/quote]

That's the way it was at my last uni and the one I'm at now. At the one I'm at now, they accepted so many freshmen that everyone else is facing a raffle to see if they can even get in the dorms or if they need to find apartments ASAP at the end of summer.

[Basilisa Marie]

[quote name='BG45' timestamp='1311004832' post='2269443']
That's the way it was at my last uni and the one I'm at now. At the one I'm at now, they accepted so many freshmen that everyone else is facing a raffle to see if they can even get in the dorms or if they need to find apartments ASAP at the end of summer.
[/quote]

Lol, something similar happened at my alma mater going into this year. They accepted lots of people, but about 80 more than expected enrolled (a class is about 400-500 students), and they guarantee on-campus housing. Whoops. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif[/img] Looks like they'll be turning the doubles into triples. Luckily I don't think they've made any of the upperclassmen re-enter a lottery for housing.

[quote][color=#595959][font=arial, verdana, sans-serif][size=4]Just so you know, more and more colleges are going with "gender neutral" bathrooms. The college I'm doing research at this summer has them, and so (apparently) does Cornell, Berkeley (to be expected), and others. [/size][/font][/color]
[/quote]


Yeah, I've heard of a bunch of the big ones doing that. Some people say it's partially to "accommodate" a growing LGBTQ population on campus. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/idontknow.gif[/img] But like it's been said, I don't think there's a whole campus like that yet.

[BG45]

[quote name='Basilisa Marie' timestamp='1311010777' post='2269505']
Lol, something similar happened at my alma mater going into this year. They accepted lots of people, but about 80 more than expected enrolled (a class is about 400-500 students), and they guarantee on-campus housing. Whoops. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif[/img] Looks like they'll be turning the doubles into triples. Luckily I don't think they've made any of the upperclassmen re-enter a lottery for housing.


[/quote]
Ouch! Yeah my last school over-enrolled by a small amount and ended up putting some Freshmen in a local hotel.