Residents say there's something different about the single-sex residence halls on Central Campus.
Betsey Barbour and Helen Newberry are not like other dorms. Women call them home - and mean it.
But the comfortable all-female atmosphere may be in jeopardy. The residence halls may soon become coed if a living-learning program moves into the space.
According to a proposal from the living-learning task force, either the Honors Program or the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program - both coed - will be housed in Barbour and Newberry.
"That is the task force recommendation," said Alan Levy, director of Housing public affairs. "It is not set in stone. They may stay single-sex indefinitely. There may be a change."
LSA first-year student Michelle Butler, along with many women in single-sex halls, finds the possible changes problematic. However, students who were involuntarily placed in all-female halls think there's too much single-sex housing anyway.
"This is like a home. I know some people in this dorm who don't want this to happen," said Butler, who lives in Newberry. "I would say leave the dorms the way they are."
The cafeteria is their kitchen, the lounge area downstairs is their living room and they each have a bedroom. Residents say making the dorms coed would interfere with the intimate environment.
This year, 673 women live in the three all-women residence halls: Barbour, Newberry and Stockwell. Another 150 live in Martha Cook, which is not a University Housing property.
Levy said there were more spots in all-female halls than applicants this year.
"There's too much room in the sense that we don't get applicants that match the number of spaces," Levy said.
LSA first-year student Emily Goldsmith is one of those students who didn't want to live in Newberry.
"A lot of girls on my floor didn't request all girls," she said. "Making the dorms coed wouldn't be a bad idea."
Goldsmith said the advantages of adding a living-learning community would outweigh the ill feelings of some students.
"If they could create a new program, then by all means use Barbour-Newberry," she said.
Besides considering coed halls, the task force also has talked about making one building all-female and the other hall all-male. Currently, there are no all-male dorms.
Levy said there has never been pressure to create an all-male living experience, but added that some already exist.
"They're called fraternities," he said.
Levy said the number of students who request single-sex residence halls has remained constant during the last 10 years. He also said the return rate in single-sex housing is higher than in other dorms.
"The return rate of Barbour, Newberry, Stockwell is notably higher than Markley," Levy said. "For some women who did not initially prefer it, they find the quality of life can be appealing."
LSA sophomore Jabeh Peabody is living in Barbour for the second year. She said she hopes the residence hall stays the same.
"There aren't that many all-girls' dorms already," Peabody said. "It's closer. It's quieter. You can study all day, all night."
Marc Kaplan, coordinator for residence education in Barbour-Newberry, said there are basically three reasons students choose to live in the two small dorms on State Street: location, size and the single-sex atmosphere.
"Stockwell and Martha Cook will still be there, so the opportunity for women will still be there," Kaplan said.
Butler says that while single-sex housing would still be available, Stockwell is larger and farther from Central Campus.
"Stockwell is huge. It doesn't have the same hominess," Butler said. "And you can only fit so many people in Stockwell."
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Dina Raviari (left) and Alison Kennedy study and chat in a lounge in Betsey Barbour residence hall last night.