GENDER INCLUSIVE HOUSING

Gender Inclusive Housing (GIH) is a supportive housing option designed to affirm students whose gender identity and/or gender orientation may not align with traditional gender binaries. This housing option allows individuals to live in an environment where they feel safe, respected, and affirmed in their identity.

• This option is available to students who have completed at least one year of on-campus housing. Incoming first-year or transfer students interested in GIH must contact the Director of Student Life and Residential Services for further information to determine whether this option meets their needs.

• Students are not randomly or forcibly assigned to Gender Inclusive Housing. Participation is entirely voluntary, and students who do not opt in will be assigned roommates based on their legal sex, in accordance with standard housing procedures.

• To ensure safety, respect, and community alignment, students opting into Gender Inclusive Housing will be assigned based on gender identity/orientation, not biological sex. Room assignments will be made by the Office of Residence Life, with consideration given to personal identity and compatibility as assessed through a separate application.

• Single-occupancy rooms are the preferred living arrangement within Gender Inclusive Housing, and every effort will be made to accommodate this preference. However, when necessary due to space and financial considerations, students may be placed in shared accommodations. In the event of a vacancy, the Office of Residence Life will manage the reassignment or leave the space unfilled based on the availability of waitlisted applicants and the integrity of the GIH community.

• This housing option is not intended for romantic couples of any orientation nor those solely requesting in order to live with friends.  The university does not support cohabitation with romantic partners in campus housing, as it may interfere with students’ academic focus and the residential experience of others. Its purpose is to support students whose needs are best met in a gender-inclusive living environment.

• Students must be at least 18 years of age to be eligible for Gender Inclusive Housing due to liability policies. Students under 18 will not be placed in this housing community.

• The choice to live in Gender Inclusive Housing is confidential. It will not appear on student bills or formal documents. The university will not disclose this information to parents or guardians; it is the student’s right to share housing details with their families if they choose to do so.

All residents of Gender Inclusive Housing are expected to respect the identities, experiences, and privacy of others in the community. The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to intervene and reassign housing if any individual is found to be in violation of these expectations or creates a disruptive environment.