As of February 23rd, 2019, a follow-up email has been sent out regarding the housing changes. This email states that it is mainly freshmen who will be placed in the single-sex housing, that living learning communities will still exist, and that upperclassmen will still have the opportunity to choose other housing.

This does not acknowledge that this change will still change the freshman community living at Walsh drastically, nor that there is an entire upperclassman dorm being taken over for single-sex housing. As the email states, only 30% of sophomores live in Menard. However, if this 30% does not wish to live in single-sex housing, where will they go? This also ignores that Betzler tower is occupied by 100% upperclassmen, and that around 60% of this number (assuming the housing stays true to campus demographics) are female upperclassmen - which means that these residents will also be displaced. This displacement will result in higher competition for other residence halls, which will lead to more students being placed in halls they do not wish to live in - and these halls may include the newly single-sex dorms. So even though upperclassmen will have the opportunity to choose other housing, their choices will be limited and they will have to compete with even more students than normal for their desired housing. 

To the living learning communities point, yes the communities may still exist, but they will not be the same. These communities will be split across sexes and across buildings, marring the very idea of community living. Many of those who have signed have indicated that they were able to cultivate healthy opposite-sex friendships because of the current setup of the freshman housing, and with this change, these types of experiences will diminish.

Lastly, it was not mentioned in this follow-up that there is no grounding for this policy in Catholic teaching - or that many of the Catholic universities who adhere to this type of housing only have such arrangements in their dorms that have community bathrooms - which would make sense. However, Walsh has no community bathrooms and this is a large selling point for the university. 

In sum, this decision will have irreversible impact on freshman living at Walsh University, forcibly segregating the sexes - which is not what the initial email argued (it said that this housing was only for those who desire it). It will split the living learning communities across buildings, and will displace a significant number of upperclassmen in the process. 

Because I respect the administration of the university and believe they have our best interests at heart, I still stand against this policy and ask them to consider the hundreds of people who have already signed this petition. This is not what these students, alumni, and community members want. 

For those who have signed, please continue to respectfully oppose this decision, and rally your friends to join the cause. Walsh is a place where our voices matter. Let us make them heard, but remember the good that this university and its administration have done and continue to do, and stand up for it.