After a successful pilot year, University Housing has decided to expand its gender inclusive hall in Carson Hall to further a University-wide goal of honoring diversity on campus.
“We had a discussion over a few weeks and thought it would be a good idea for the halls to try,” Amy Ranf, Residence Hall Association vice president of programs, said of her support of the hall when it was first proposed last year.
Gender inclusive housing gives students the option to live with whomever they choose regardless of sex or gender.
“For some students, being able to choose to room with someone of the opposite gender is a safer and more comfortable option,” Assistant Director of Resident Life Grant Schoonover said of the hall.
The idea for a gender inclusive hall was first proposed in 2009 as part of a collaborative effort by University Housing and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Education and Support Services, Schoonover said.
“Housing was recognizing the needs of a community and finding a program that meets those needs,” Schoonover said.
Lack of interest pushed the project back until this past fall, however, and for the first year the hall was only open to students who had already spent at least a year in the residence halls. Sixteen students took advantage of the option last year, and with the hall opened up to incoming freshmen as well, University Housing hopes that next year this number will double.
According to The National Student Genderblind Campaign, a national network of student activists advocating for gender-neutral policies on college campuses, universities around the country are taking similar steps to make their campuses more inclusive and safe for students — especially those in the LGBT community.
“Traditional policies are premised upon outdated beliefs and stereotypes about gender and sexuality,” the group says on its website. “As colleges and universities increasingly strive to lead the way towards a new era of gender equality, gay rights and transgender inclusion, students across the country are now calling into question the fundamental assumptions behind conventional dormitory policies.”
Housing is still figuring out logistics for next year, Schoonover said, but none of the concerns that people had — like more potential conflict between roommates — have been an issue with the group of students in the hall this year.
“We thought it would be a fun thing to try out,” Ranf said, adding that it seemed like the appropriate change given the University’s focus on equity issues. “I feel it’s our responsibility to not only just preach about diversity, but actually put it in use.”
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