We are the prefects of the brand-new all-gender dorm next year. When we were first assigned to the all-gender dorm, we called ourselves guinea pigs; now, however, we realize that we’re more like pioneers. We hope to have a lasting impact on the school through our prefectship and are very excited to see how the all-gender dorm sets its roots in campus life. The two of us have been good friends since our third form year, so it is incredibly exciting for both of us to be prefecting together in the same dorm. Neither of us, even in our wildest dreams, would have expected that we would actually get to live together during our final year at Choate, but we’re both confident that it’s going to be a wonderful year.
The all-gender dorm will be Edsall, currently a senior boys’ dorm. The School decided not to change its name in hopes that the dorm will be perceived no differently than any other dorm on campus. Edsall was recently renovated, so it’s a very comfortable and modern place to live. There will be five doubles and two singles available for prefectees — as prefects, we will live in the other two singles. All in all, twelve prefectees will be selected from the application process. Not everything has been worked out yet; the roommate pairing process is still being decided. If you have any interest in applying, the application is quite short and won’t take up much of your time at all; however, do note that being accepted into the Edsall cohort is binding, so you will not be able to leave and join another dorm. Being a part of this community will be an amazing experience, since you have the opportunity to be a member of the pilot group.
In general, we hope to challenge the binary view of gender. This revisiting of how we approach the topic of gender isn’t simply limited to the new dorm. However, as a boy and a girl who have been friends for three years, we appreciate the possibility for platonic boy-girl friendships. In recent discourse, visitation rules have been a hot topic, as they tend to discourage healthy heterosexual relationships, create a barrier between boys and girls, and fail in properly acknowledging queer students. Especially with the arrival of the all-gender dorm, the current visitation policies are being called into question, forcing the School to reconsider its position on gendered housing as a whole. The all-gender dorm will certainly be something that sparks debate, which we think will provide Choate with an excellent opportunity for growth, both as a community and an institution.
We look forward to prefecting an amazing group of kids who will hopefully learn a lot throughout their year with us. Furthermore, we really want to reach out to every student at Choate, especially those who don’t often feel included in the spaces they currently find themselves in. Being in a dorm full of supportive peers or others they can relate to has the potential to be a wonderful opportunity for those students, and we’re both so excited to help create that opportunity.
The community we hope to create in Edsall will be one that is completely loving and accepting. Don’t get us wrong: this dorm will not be only for those who identify outside of the gender binary! Allies are welcome and accepted as well. Hopefully, our love will spread beyond our dorm and perhaps even past the confines of Choate — we can’t wait!
From Nico: I was interested in being a prefect pretty early on in my Choate career. I hope to be the kind of prefect that can make a strong, positive impact on someone’s life, just as many of my previous prefects have done for me. When I knew the all-gender dorm was an option, I was so excited and knew it would be my first choice. I have been active in SPECTRUM since coming to Choate and am now the Peer Confidential Resource, a selected member acting as a resource for other members who wish to share a confidential problem. When I spoke to Ms. Mb Duckett Ireland at the beginning of this year, she told me that hopefully, an all-gender dorm would be implemented a couple years down the line. However, I know that she has pushed to allow for this to happen so soon. I admire her a lot for her dedication. SPECTRUM has played an essential role in my life, helping me discover my own identity. I am an advocate for people of any gender or sexuality and can relate on a fundamental level to those students who deviate from the norm. I am loving and non-judgmental all around, and I can’t wait to make new friends!
From Will: I was interested in being in an all-gender dorm because it’s really something which I see as an inevitability. As the school moves further towards supporting our non-cisgender students, it really was only a matter of time before we joined our peer schools in creating a space were all students can coexist regardless of their gender identity. The opportunity to join this project was really exhilarating because in addition to prefecting, which is already a massive responsibility and privilege, I get to be one of the two first-ever prefects of Choate’s all-gender dorm. Getting to pilot what I see as such a big step towards pushing Choate out of the rut of a gender binary system greatly excites me, and I can’t wait for this next year.
More than anything, though, I really want Edsall to be seen as just another dorm on campus — the most fun, thoughtful, and appealing dorm on campus, perhaps, but certainly not isolated because of the people who live there. After all, if we see Edsall and its inhabitants as separated in any way from the rest of campus, then we’ve, in part, failed to achieve what we set out to do: to integrate and welcome students from all identities into life at Choate.
With love,
Will & Nico
