All non-first-year students will be afforded the opportunity to live in gender-neutral housing thanks to a new policy written by the Department of Residence Life, according to interim Co-Director of Residence Life Jeremy Leiferman. Gender-neutral housing will apply to "all multiple-occupancy rooms on mixed-gender floors in East [Quad] and the Village, double rooms in suites in the Castle and Rosenthal [Quad] and efficiency apartments in 567 South St. and the Charles River Apartments," according to the ResLife Web site.

The gender-neutral housing policy will not affect students who want to live in single-gender halls. According to the ResLife Web site, "These options will not impact the number of single-gender housing options available." In an e-mail to the Justice, Leiferman wrote, "There are two single-gender floors in the Village. Students have the ability to select suites and apartments on their own, therefore determining the gender designations of the space is up to them."

Students who choose to live in gender-neutral rooms will go through the same room- selection process as students who decide to live in single-gender rooms, explained Leiferman. "The only difference is that it is a guy and girl selecting the [same] room," he said.

"For the time being, [ResLife is] not including incoming first-year students in the group that can participate in gender-neutral housing. Gender-neutral housing is based upon a mutual agreement that two students make as they are selecting that room. First-year students don't necessarily have the opportunity to mutually agree to live in that type of space together under the current structure," Leiferman said; however, "First-year students who want a gender-neutral space should contact [ResLife], and an appropriate housing assignment will be made," according to the ResLife Web site. This means that [ResLife] will work with students who have specific requests.This has been our policy for a number of years, and [it] will continue to be in place," Leiferman wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

Leiferman explained, "Most schools that have gender-neutral housing don't open it up to incoming first-year students."

"We feel that the availability of gender-neutral housing as an option for Residence Life is an important issue," Student Union Director of Communications Jamie Ansorge '09 wrote in an e-mail. "Gender-neutral housing supports the University's non-discrimination policy and fully commits to the principles of social justice with respect to sexual orientation, sex, gender and gender identity. The Union has been closely involved with the development of gender-neutral housing policy for some time now and we're happy to see that Residence Life and the [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] community have reached an agreement."

The decision to adopt the gender-neutral housing policy was finalized midway through the fall 2008 semester, Leiferman said. He explained that since the decision was finalized there has been work on the gender-neutral housing policy "to refine the language and talking about how we [ResLife] will incorporate the policy."

"We worked internally with our Gender Neutral Housing Planning Committee and the Residence Life Advisory Committee.We have included education pieces in the Room Selection info sessions and have talked with our Residence Life student and professional staff," Leiferman wrote.

"I think that a low percentage of students will take advantage of the gender-neutral housing option," Stacy Soohoo '11 said. "Most people are more comfortable living with a person of their same gender. I would not personally live in the same room as a guy," she added.

Matt Gaber '11 said, "I think that [gender-neutral housing] is going to offer students more [housing] opportunities. I don't think that it can present more problems than there already are." He explained that the problems he was referring to are "the inherent issues that arise among roommates."

"I think that there will be some students that will take advantage of it, but I don't think that it will be a majority," Leiferman said.

"The Union is proud to have supported this successful initiative and thankful for the willingness of Residence Life to respond to our calls for change," wrote Ansorge.