Gender Inclusive Housing Policy

SU Policy Number: 000-0.0

ORIGINATING OFFICE
Office of Housing & Residence Life

PURPOSE
To address housing options for students who may identify as transgender, gender-queer, gender fluid, or do not wish to prescribe to gender/ sex classifications. Gender inclusive housing supports the University’s non-discrimination policy and fully commits to the principles of social justice with respect to sex, gender, and gender identity. Shippensburg University acknowledges, appreciates, and respects the diverse student population and this policy will provide further opportunities to create safe spaces on campus.

SCOPE
This policy applies to all first year, transfer, readmitted, and current undergraduate and graduate students.

OBJECTIVE
To provide all Shippensburg University students who reside in campus housing an option to request to live in gender inclusive housing, which will allow suitemates of any gender combination (single-gender or mixed-gender) to live within the same residential suite units.

DEFINITIONS
1. Gender: “refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men—that do not necessarily fit into binary male and female sex categories” (World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/gender-equity-rights/understanding/gender-definition/en/)

2. Campus housing: All Shippensburg University, owned, managed, and/or leased residence halls, suites, or apartments.

3. Gender inclusive housing: Campus housing that will not assign gender roles in order to avoid discrimination arising from the impression that there are social roles associated with different genders.
4. Students: encompasses all first year, transfer, readmitted, and admitted undergraduate and graduate students.

POLICY
1. Entering first-year, transfer, readmitted students, graduate, or current students will have the opportunity to indicate their preference for gender inclusive housing by filling out an electronic “Gender Inclusive Housing Request Form” on the Shippensburg University Housing and Residence Life website.  Housing and Residence Life will then work with the students on a case by case basis to assign appropriate housing based on their hall, room, and gender inclusive preferences. All requests for gender inclusive housing are due by August 1. Any requests after August 1 may not be accommodated until after the start of the academic year after the second week of classes, during the open room change process.

For the purpose of this policy and for occupancy statistics, if a gender inclusive housing suite were to drop below the capacity of the suite, the Office of Housing & Residence Life reserves the right to dissolve the suite assignment and return the unit to single gender housing. In addition, if a student requests a gender inclusive housing option and no housing options are available, the student will be added to a waiting list until an appropriate housing option has been identified. If unable to be accommodated in the gender inclusive housing option immediately, the student will be assigned available housing and will remain on the waiting list. Housing and Residence Life will notify the student on the waiting list when their accommodation for gender inclusive housing can be made.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Personnel within the Office of Housing and Residence Life have the responsibility to administratively manage and implement this policy in an organized, fair and timely manner. The Director of Housing and Residence Life shall have the administrative authority to approve students’ application requests to live in the gender inclusive housing and reserves the right to place students on waiting lists if the requests cannot be filled at the present time based on capacity within the residence halls.

PROCEDURES
Students will be aware, through marketing and information on the Housing & Residence Life website, that when checking gender inclusive housing, they are indicating they are requesting to live in a space where the gender of the student is irrelevant for the housing assignments.  Assignments will be made based on suite type availability.

A. Incoming first year students, transfers, and readmitted students may indicate on their housing application if they request to receive a gender inclusive housing assignment.

B. Returning students may indicate on their housing application if they request to receive a gender inclusive housing assignment.

C. Once a request is made for a student to live in gender inclusive housing, the Director of Housing and Residence Life will work with that student to place them in a residence hall room based on capacity and availability.

D. If a student would like to request a suitemate, both students must request one another through the housing application software and they must indicate on their housing applications that they would like to live in gender inclusive housing. 

E. Students will receive their room assignment throughout the Summer A and Summer B term depending upon the housing deposit and housing application being submitted correctly.

RECISSION
This policy, once approved, becomes effective immediately for all students entering and or continuing to live in campus housing at Shippensburg University.

APPROVAL
EMT: September 3, 2019