All students deserve to feel safe and comfortable in their living environments. That's the message of the National Student Genderblind Campaign, a student movement that advocates for gender-neutral housing on college campuses. Institutions across the country, approximately 30, have responded to those students who say the traditional residence life policy that mandates only students of the same sex be roommates is antiquated and unfair. These universities have made gender-blind housing available to accommodate those students-many of whom are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or intersex-who feel more comfortable rooming with someone with no gender or someone of the opposite sex or gender. Transgender students who come to Brandeis or undergo the transition while at Brandeis may prefer to live with a roommate who's comfortable with their identity or who is gender-variant as well.

In adjusting the heteronormative housing policy, Brandeis has the opportunity to be more alert and sensitive to the needs of gender-variant students.

We support the students of Triskelion, TransBrandeis and the Social Justice Committee in their effort to bring gender-inclusive housing options to Brandeis. This sort of housing would be optional. We encourage the Department of Residence Life to work with students to reach a compromise regarding this issue as soon as possible.

No student should be forced into a living situation that causes undue anxiety and discomfort. That also goes for students, many with religious concerns, who frequently request more single-gender floors, suites and buildings to be available. These students should have the housing that best suits their identities as well. It's difficult for ResLife to balance these competing needs, but that's why we need a greater variety of housing options.

An inclusive rooming option, maybe starting with one dorm, would make for a good test run. ResLife and Trisk discussed the possibility of opening gender-neutral housing in a Thematic Learning Community. This is a great idea, but ResLife has to revamp the TLC program first, as it's currently on hold.

ResLife could also conduct a survey and hold open forums to receive more feedback from students on this issue. A forum might bring to light some of the heteronormative assumptions that the housing policy makes.

It assumes that only students of the opposite sex can be in relationship and that only men perpetrate violence against women. If these generalizations were true, then separating men and women in housing might make sense.

According to the National Student Genderblind Campaign, colleges that allow for gender-neutral housing reported that only 2 to 3 percent of their students choose to live with a roommate, regardless of sex. Allowing these minority groups to feel at home is reason enough.

Multiple models exist for gender-neutral living. Since 2003 Wesleyan University has offered multiple gender-blind dorms and Ithaca College and Dartmouth College each allocated one hallway in a dorm as gender-neutral. We hope greater progress is made on our campus as well.