*Edit: Elizabethtown College is no longer offering pet-friendly housing. For the most up-to-date information visit Etown College’s Office of Community Living’s official website.

The Office of Residence Life will be implementing changes to housing at Elizabethtown College in fall 2018, most notably pet-friendly housing, Featherton Crossing Apartments and the expansion of co-ed housing options.

The pet-friendly housing was one of the most recently announced changes by Residence Life, and this themed housing option will be available in the first floor of Royer Residence Hall and the east wing of the second and third floors of Myer Residence Hall. So far, according to Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life Allison Bridgeman, the response to pet-friendly housing has been positive.

“There have been good responses to the new pet-friendly housing option at Accepted Students Day,” Bridgeman said. “[The students] are excited for it.”

Additionally, earlier in the year, Etown announced the new Featherton Crossing Apartments, which are available for rising seniors and juniors and have been recently expanded for rising sophomores.

“Students don’t need to have groups of four in the Featherton Apartments, so it’s been very popular with students,” Bridgeman said.

Myer will become entirely co-ed in fall 2018. The College currently has LGBT-friendly themed Stonewall dorms for co-ed and gender inclusive housing, as well as general gender inclusive housing that is not a themed community option, both located in Founders Residence Hall. Students in the past have pushed to expand gender inclusive housing and co-ed housing out of Founders and into other residence halls, and Myer will be the first step in that process.

One of the pushes for co-ed housing came from sophomore student senator Hannah Paymer, who has worked closely with Bridgeman and others to bring about the change.

“Housing is always ungodly stressful,” Paymer said. “There’s got to be a better way to go about it.” Paymer also credited people she has talked to for inspiring her to work with Residence Life on what students want to see out of their housing options.

“I had friends who wanted co-ed housing, and I have [transgender] friends who also wanted it,” Paymer said. “The more I learned about housing, the more I wanted to continue advocating for everyone.”

“We want to provide housing that is interesting and compelling for students, and we want to be modern and aligned with what other institutions are offering,” Bridgeman said on the decision to expand co-ed housing. “We’re on the higher end of the curve in making that decision, but we want to continue being competitive and modern with our housing options.”

Conversations are in place to expand co-ed housing into the Schlosser Residence Hall sometime in the future, since Schlosser already has a wing shared by male and female students. Additionally, over summer break, Myer will be undergoing renovations of its halls and lobbies among other things.

Paymer also proposed creating a senate committee for housing that would act as a liaison between the students and Bridgeman and the others at Residence Life. This committee, an ad hoc committee, will have its first meeting Tuesday, March 20 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in room 211 of the BSC, and it will be open to all students to attend to voice their opinions.

“I’m very excited about the committee and the meeting because of the dialogue that can come of it,” Bridgeman said.

“The committee is made up of five student senators and Allison Bridgeman,” Paymer said. “I’m very excited that Allison is a part of the committee as she can provide insight into the College’s current and projected housing position. I hope to see a lot of students there!”

Paymer and Bridgeman both hope that this committee will provide students with the opportunity to contribute more to the changes that will be brought to Etown housing, as well as facilitate more student interaction with Residence Life in general.

“Res life isn’t that scary,” Paymer said. “They want to hear from students so they can get good feedback.”

“A majority of our best ideas come from students. Students are at the front of our work at Residence Life,” Bridgeman said. “Elizabethtown is a small institution … Exceptions can be made at small colleges.”

Individual concerns and questions about housing can be directed to Residence Life. For example, a student wanting to stay at Etown over a break such as fall or spring break is encouraged to contact Residence Life or Bridgeman to coordinate a solution.

Additionally, Bridgeman encourages students with any ideas on new housing options, ideas for what kinds of furniture goes into the residence halls or any other suggestion to contact Residence Life.

To voice a concern or suggestion, students can attend the open housing committee meeting Tuesday, March 20 at 1 p.m. or email either reslife@etown.edu or bridgemana@etown.edu.

If a student would like to ask a question at the committee meeting but cannot attend, questions can be sent to paymerh@etown.edu.