Head of faculty Steve Foley mentioned the faculty’s alumni and present college students, lots of whom got here from regional Queensland and NSW cities, didn’t wish to turn out to be co-residential.
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“It’s simpler in some methods to have roommates/corridor mates who’re the identical gender as you when it comes to your friendship group; you get a tighter bond,” he mentioned.
“When our guys exit collectively, they usually keep collectively as a gaggle.
“Each time the St Leo’s guys arrive at a venue, we all the time know they’ve arrived as a result of they arrive collectively.”
Foley acknowledged there have been challenges when advertising and marketing the faculty to new residents when solely coping with “half the market”, significantly when ladies outnumber males at college, with 54 per cent of UQ’s college students ladies in 2023.
He mentioned males additionally most likely represented the extra “disorganised half of the market”, however regardless of the challenges, St Leo’s completed 2023 at full capability, with most college students coming from co-ed excessive colleges.
“I don’t suppose we’d ever turn out to be a co-residential school to reply to monetary want,” Foley mentioned.
“I feel if we have been to ever contemplate it, it might be as a result of we’d suppose it was in the very best pursuits of the faculty.”
The ladies-only Christian school Grace at UQ as soon as banned alcohol in rooms and male visitors in a single day.
However in 2022, it rebranded as “gender inclusive” and up to date insurance policies to permit visitors to remain in a single day and residents to drink alcohol of their rooms, whereas residents stay in mixed-gender flooring, like in different co-residential schools.
Since changing into gender inclusive, Grace had a 400 per cent improve in functions.
Principal Peter Walker mentioned the choice was about “fostering an setting that really welcomes and celebrates the range of all college students – feminine, male and non-binary”.
“The choice was not primarily monetary nor resulting from a scarcity of functions however was about assembly evolving market calls for and scholar expectations for a progressive and inclusive expertise,” he mentioned.
“The response from our college students to this alteration has been overwhelmingly optimistic.”