Anthony notes that themed housing often leads to the creation of ideological enclaves that contribute to an illiberal education. One of the most offensive examples of themed housing is Cornell’s race-based self-segregation, which was first created following the demands of armed radicals who took over Cornell’s student union in 1969. But from my own experience, themed housing is not bad in itself.

Last year, I held a resident assistant position at GW on an American history “living and learning community” floor of freshmen. The kids on my floor were surprisingly politically open-minded and intellectually curious. They explored DC’s historical sights, watched historically themed movies, and took a field trip to Gettysburg. On President’s Day weekend, we traveled to Charleston, SC where we toured sights such as Fort Sumter, the Citadel, and Patriot’s Point. Occasionally, some of them even indulged this history nerd with 3:00 a.m. conversations in the hallway on topics like Constitutional history and the difference between originalist and liberal interpretations. And a good number of the students on the floor were not majoring in history but simply had an interest in the subject (or, to be honest, wanted a spot in one of the nicer freshmen dorms), thus avoiding a monochrome culture.