First-year students will not choose their roommates starting with Class of 2026
Reporting about the SGA, not a record of it: The Johns Hopkins News-Letter published this and the SGA did not write it, file it, or approve it. The archive holds it because the article itself uses the phrase “student government”.
Summary
- This Johns Hopkins News-Letter article covers a planned change to first-year roommate assignments and concerns raised by students.
- The News-Letter reported that first-year students will no longer choose their own roommates beginning with the Class of 2026, and that housing director Sarah Mansfield confirmed the plan.
- The paper reported that students currently may choose roommates or use a lifestyle questionnaire, while Mansfield said university assignments could reduce isolation and support new social connections.
- The article says FYM Andrea Guillen opposes the policy, calling it an “emotional and bureaucratic nightmare”; it also reports that the University plans spring feedback sessions on improving the questionnaire.
- The reporter writes that FYM Nick Malloy questioned whether the questionnaire could capture the details important to choosing a roommate, and that Guillen said it could not guarantee a good match.
- According to the article, SGA freshman senator Ireland Parrish warned that the policy could put LGBTQ students with people who do not accept their sexuality, while transgender freshman Ash Saucedo described fears about transphobic suitemates; Mansfield said inclusive housing would remain available.