Northwestern will implement gender-neutral housing on campus next fall after the University approved a student-led proposal Friday.
Under the Gender Open Housing pilot program, a small portion of housing in a suite or hall on campus will not be assigned based on gender. The amount and location of the housing will depend on interest, said Mugsie Pike, Gender Protection Initiative president.
“I’m really excited,” the Communication senior said. “I’ve been working on this for three years and I’m just happy I can say it happened before I graduate.”
The program will be initially available to upperclassmen only, said William Banis, vice president for student affairs.
“They’re already adjusted to Northwestern,” he said. “We could work with them to see how we could improve.”
Housing forms have already been sent to admitted freshmen, Pike said, and including them in next year’s pilot program is not an option. She said transfer students would still have the opportunity to participate and the Initiative hopes to include freshmen in the program during the 2011-12 school year.
Interested upperclassmen will begin touring possible suites and wings this quarter, and Pike said she expects housing to provide space for 18 to 20 students. Depending on interest, there may be two locations, one on North Campus and one on South Campus. Otherwise, the housing will likely be in one dorm on South Campus, Pike said.
The program will help solve problems that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students may face in the residential housing system, Pike said.
“A lot of times there have been problems where they’ll be a straight roommate who’s uncomfortable or someone who will be in a section that doesn’t match their gender identity,” she said.
Other students may be attracted to the housing as well, including students with opposite-sex friends, Pike said. The suites or wings will not have gender-neutral bathrooms due to legal issues.
“We’re working for more of those on campus as a separate campaign,” she said.
The Gender Protection Initiative submitted a similar gender-neutral housing proposal last year during Winter Quarter, which was denied. That proposal was accompanied by a student petition with more than 700 signatures.
Patrick Dawson, former co-president of NU’s Rainbow Alliance, said he has worked on the proposal for two years. He said it succeeded this year for several reasons. The University added gender identity and gender expression to its non-discrimination policy this year, he said, which may have impacted the proposal’s success.
“We made it more clear that it was something that was available to all students, something that isn’t just relevant to the LGBT community,” the Weinberg senior said. “We had a better understanding of where this would work physically in what dorms on campus, so I think it was easier for the housing committee to come to this decision.”
According to a March 15 Los Angeles Times article, about 50 U.S. schools have gender-neutral living options on campus. Dawson said most of NU’s peer institutions have such policies.
“It’s already a national trend that Northwestern wants to be a part of,” he said.
Banis said Friday’s meeting was “very productive.”
“There was a lot of cooperation,” he said. “This is another step to our being an increasingly inclusive campus. I’m happy we’re able to do it.”
