Ethnic theme houses are an indispensable part of the Stanford community, both for their role in fulfilling the mission of Residential Education, as well as serving their own residents. Freshmen have many opportunities to find their place in Stanford’s ethnic communities without living in ethnic theme dormitories, and students should not be forced to live in communities in which they are uncomfortable.

Simply put, freshmen should not be able to live in ethnic theme houses. There are many ways to learn about diversity during freshman year without living in ethnic theme houses. Furthermore, placing freshmen in other residences provides more space for upperclassmen who want the experience of living in ethnic theme dormitories.

One major advantage of an ethnic theme house is the feeling of safety, security and belonging it provides — features that all students deserve in their residences. Freshmen are struggling — often for the first time — with an unprecedented degree of independence, and they need a residence in which they feel comfortable.

But these comforts can be realized in any variety of ways. Before enrolling, incoming students can opt to have a roommate of the same ethnicity if they feel that such a living situation would make the transition easier.

Realistically, some freshmen may decide that their housing arrangements do not provide a desirable ethnic climate. However, opportunities abound for them to find such an environment by joining an ethnic group on campus, attending their events or even going over to the ethnic theme houses for meals or functions.

Much of the purpose of college is to have novel experiences and encounter new people. Through its wealth of diversity (not just of an ethnic nature), Stanford certainly provides such opportunities. Indeed, a wide variety of different communities exist at this University, and it would be a shame for students not to have, or worse, to forsake, the chance to participate in at least a few of them.

While it is true that proximity breeds friendship, it would hardly be reasonable to argue that students only develop tight relationships with those in their residences. There are simply too many other outlets for meeting people and sharing common experiences at this school.

In fact, freshmen’s most essential bonding experience is not dorm-based, but rather a matter of shared circumstance Everyone has to take Introduction to the Humanities courses. Everyone can go to Full Moon on the Quad. Everyone can attend Flicks. Everyone gets randomly tossed into dormitories with others whose backgrounds span the gamut of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, interests and experience.

Hopefully, most freshmen develop a sense of pride about where they live and bond with their classmates within and outside of their residences.

Community comes in a variety of forms and, if ethnic theme houses provide the necessary community for some freshmen, there are many ways to access that without actually living there. If they truly cherish the environment, freshmen can always choose to live in ethnic theme houses for the remainder of their Stanford careers.

Some argue that it is essential for freshmen to actually live in ethnic theme houses because of the energy and enthusiasm freshmen bring to event-planning that busier, more apathetic upperclassmen lack. In response, it is worth noting that freshmen are as involved in campus life as anyone, juggling classes, activities and relationships like their older counterparts.

Moreover, the fact that upperclassmen choose to live in these dorms suggests that they have the passion to continue the dynamic residence programming that has come to characterize Stanford’s ethnic theme houses.

Beyond the vitality and purpose of ethnic theme houses are a variety of logistical issues about the living arrangements. As it stands now, with the class and ethnic quotas the University maintains for ethnic theme dormitories, many freshmen are arbitrarily placed into ethnic theme houses — sometimes against their will — while upperclassmen who wish to draw into those houses are denied spaces.

Not allowing freshmen to live in ethnic theme houses — just as they cannot live in any other kind of theme house like La Casa Italiana, La Maison Française or Haus MittleEuropa — will make space available for the upperclassmen who want to be there.

The proponents of allowing freshmen to live in ethnic theme houses argue fallaciously that upperclassmen will be reluctant to sacrifice Draw priority and the possibility of “good” housing for an implicitly “bad” ethnic theme house.

Certainly, the Draw requires students to make difficult decisions about where and with whom to live. But why should we assume that the potential to have one’s own room or an open kitchen would outweigh the benefits of community support and feelings of comfort that ethnic theme house residents say makes their dorm experiences so worthwhile?

A student’s housing should enhance, not limit his or her experience of diversity. Without implying that ethnic theme houses are insular or exclusive, freshmen who live in ethnic theme dorms may actually have less exposure to different kinds of people. Some argue that freshmen are more open to new experiences and perspectives, making them more receptive to the cultural viewpoints expressed in ethnic theme houses.

But this remains a tenuous assumption at best. In fact, it is more appropriate and warranted to assert that people who want to draw into these dorms are naturally more open to the perspectives exhibited therein. Freshmen are often so new to college life that they are unable to appreciate and take advantage of the chance to live with such a diverse group of people.

Finally, and most importantly, the value of exposure to diversity in college lies not just in experiencing novelty, but in learning to live with different people and, hopefully, befriending many of them. Even more than academic training, it is the social dynamics of university life that best prepares students for the real world where we all will encounter types of people who differ drastically from ourselves.

Every Stanford student should have to face that challenge at least once. Why not as a freshman, when the entire class is in the same boat and, as a result, can bond through their common experiences? In this way, freshmen will be able to both celebrate and learn from their differences, as well as form lasting relationships with people they might not know otherwise.