It is indeed implausible. And I’m not advocating that CUA claim this argument at all; rather that it discredits one of Banzahf’s supporting arguments. I doubt such “unawareness” happened before, and I’m doubtful it’s happening now when Banzhaf reasons that bathrooms should be excluded from the policy, (because there’s a concern about privacy,) while dorm rooms should not, (because there’s no such concern.) I think this argument of his – attempting to explain the ‘difference’ between the two cases – should be smoked.

CUA should continue exactly on their stated course of defending the policy as an obvious means to reduce easy access to behavior which everyone agrees is problematic, dangerous and in some cases in violation of other students’ privacy and rights, and they should demand an explicit explanation of the nature of the actual ‘discrimination’ being claimed every time the word is used.

It seems to me CUA would have to make the rather implausible argument that it made the move to co-ed dorms in the past unaware that there could be concerns about sexual privacy, but now it has dawned on them that they made a mistake.

That’s why, says Banzhaf, while most universities have mixed-gender dormitories, virtually none have mixed-gender showers or locker rooms.”

Unfortunately, Banzhaf is greatly mistaken in his apparent view that ‘there are no concerns about nudity or sexual privacy’ in mixed-gender dormitories. Perhaps this is his most erroneous premise. It’s certainly a flaw in his argument to explain how ‘segregated’ showers can and should be excluded from the policy.

It seems to me there is an issue with CUA’s single-sex dorms because of the District of Columbia’s Human Rights Act. Unless there is a local or state law that treats discrimination based on gender as strictly as discrimination based on race, I don’t see how Notre Dame would have a problem. Everyone is focusing on Professor Banzhaf, but it seems to me the Human Rights Act is either badly written, or its authors really did intend to reduce discrimination based on gender to an absolute minimum.

Surely, the university could find other means to tackle the serious problems of binge drinking, etc among its students ??
Perhaps, by TURNING SUCH PEOPLE OVER TO THE SECULAR POLICE firstly, then possible suspension or dismissal of the convicted ones??

Or do all Catholic authorities, university heads as well as Bishops, feel that they can handle criminal matters all by themselves???

If someone does not like it they can find a another place.