Discussions of gender-neutral housing on campus by student government groups have turned a corner with the suggestion of more flexibility for students with specific needs.
The Residence Halls Association, or RHA, President Sarah Pomeroy said the group is considering expanding the concept of gender-neutral housing to flexible housing to accommodate specific needs, including students with particular religious beliefs or those who wish to live with siblings.
The idea to broaden the policy stemmed out of recent discussions with administrators, Pomeroy said. Currently, the proposed policy would be open only to upperclassmen.
“Part of the issue is gender-neutral housing is solely focused on gender,” she said. “We’re about housing in general, regardless of your situation (and) no matter what your preferences are.”
RHA and ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, passed bills in 2011 to support gender-neutral housing, which would allow students in residence halls to live with members of the opposite sex.
No-preference freshman Bianca DeMaria said opening up housing options to allow students more choice is a good thing, as some students feel more comfortable around the opposite sex and should be allowed the choice to live with them.
“It would make people want to come here more often if they were more accommodating to peoples’ needs and wants,” she said.
No specific policy has been proposed yet, but Pomeroy said if a flexible housing policy was implemented, it would start on a small scale with sections of residence halls.
After a meeting with MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon last semester, RHA is continuing discussions on implementation with Residential and Hospitality Services, or RHS. The policy could be put into effect as early as fall 2013, but Pomeroy said she was unsure how the discussions on the broadened flexible housing might change the timeline.
Kathy Collins, director of Campus Living Services and Residence Life, could not be reached for comment Monday, but Residential and Hospitality Services Chief Marketing Communications Officer Tony Frewen said in a previous interview this semester that administrators must approve the policy before it is implemented.
Physiology and psychology sophomore Mark Pressler said flexible housing would prevent some relationship problems between roommates by allowing them to have more choice in choosing roommates. He said he would prefer a set of criteria to pick when choosing housing to determine the best match and prevent problems from arising.
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