On Jan. 24, The Fordham Ram published an article about Fordham University’s pending new policy of allowing overnight guests of the opposite gender in residence halls. Currently, the guest pass policy allows two same-gender guests per night for up to two nights in a row. The new policy would eliminate the opposite gender restriction and allow guests between the ages of 16 and 23 to stay for up to two nights with the permission of the residence hall’s Resident Director and the consent of the individual’s roommate. Although The Fordham Ram has reported on this proposal, there has yet to be an official announcement from the school. We think Fordham’s current guest policy and its reasoning are unclear, and an update to the rules would signal a shift away from antiquated ways of thinking.

There is a double standard with Fordham’s current guest policy. By only allowing same-gendered guests, Fordham seems to assume that men and women can’t be trusted to stay overnight with each other. But when further researching the rules, some absurdities arise. The Fordham Residence Life Handbook states that guests of both genders can remain in someone’s room until 3:30 a.m. So, a guest of the opposite gender is allowed to stay over through the early hours of the morning, but they can’t stay over until breakfast? 

Why does Fordham have its current guest policy in place? The Residence Hall Agreement does not state an explicit reason. However, there seems to be a general assumption from students that it is related to the university’s Catholic culture. Many of Fordham’s more conservative policies, like the contraception policy, can be linked to Catholic doctrine. As President Tania Tetlow stated herself during an interview with the Ram, published on March 8, 2023, when it comes to Catholic doctrine, “they are bound to it.” However, it does not seem like other Jesuit universities are “bound” to this rule. Some Jesuit universities, like Georgetown University and Loyola Marymount University, allow opposite-gender guests in their residential policy handbooks. With no stated reason why the policy exists here, whereas other Jesuit schools don’t have the same standards, students are left wondering why the policy still stands. 

Students have raised some good points as to why the policy should change. One is that it would treat Fordham students like adults. They would be allowed to invite friends of the opposite gender to stay overnight, and they would not need to leave at the arbitrary deadline of 3:30 a.m. It would also allow siblings of the opposite gender to stay overnight and get a chance to know the school better. These changes also make it safer for guests to visit Fordham without worrying about their safety overnight since they will have a definitive place to stay. Most importantly, it would signal to both the student body and the outside world that Fordham does not need to be tied down to traditional views of gender and can evolve as many other universities have. 

Beginning the process of changing a longstanding policy is never simple. In fact, the conversation about changing the guest policy speaks to a greater challenge that Jesuit schools have had to face. Do they stick to the old traditional values they were founded on, or do they evolve to a modern and secular era? Even Tetlow has publicly debated this question. During the aforementioned press conference, Tetlow announced that she openly disagreed with the church’s doctrine on contraceptives, yet it is still a policy they are “bound” to uphold. That’s why it’s so refreshing that the conversation about changing the guest policy is being held. It shows that despite certain constraints placed upon Jesuit universities, there is a will on the part of the school to evolve with the times. 

However, there may be backlash from certain parts of the school community who are afraid to make this change. They may say that letting other-gendered guests stay overnight violates Catholic values. In response to that argument, we disagree. In the past, Fordham has shown that it can evolve and stay true to its Jesuit values. Fordham was not a coeducational institution until 1974, but it changed with the times because it was the right thing to do. It is possible to keep traditional values and look to the future, which is why opposite-gendered guests should be allowed to stay overnight in Fordham residence halls.