Credit: Natalie Arenzon
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY—Campus program Under1Roof, notable for its staunch support of inclusivity, intersectionality, and tolerance with regards to all identities, has come under fire from a small but vocal group of its own members, who argue that the organization’s name is at odds with its stated ideals.
“We pride ourselves with inviting first-years into Columbia University with the utmost respect for their identities and we feel that this name change will really help us get that message across,” said the group’s Public Relations Vice-Chair and English concentrator Patricia Hernandez.
“Some choose to live over a roof,” continued Hernandez, “but others feel most comfortable outside of a building entirely and therefore don’t conform to this binary description of spatial prepositions.”
“We want to ensure that all who come to study here feel as welcome as possible,” said Hernandez, “regardless of which part of speech they feel the strongest connection to.”
Speaking to reporters, Troy Wallace, student activist and Grammar Studies major, agreed. “The homeless and camping enthusiasts are both made to feel like literal outsiders by not considering the existence of non-binary prepositions and other forms of speech as well,” said Wallace. “All first-years really need to understand what they go through. Hopefully the new 1Roof will incorporate this into its teachings.”
The name change was settled within the group during the last week, and is expected to take hold during NSOP 2017. However, the debate continues as a smaller and more vocal group of members has suggested that “1” ostracizes those who feel close to multiple identities. Another group decries “Roof” as having a structuralist agenda. More news is forthcoming on another proposed name change to “{}” or “The Empty Set.”
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