The Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) announced earlier this month that it is now offering open housing, more commonly known as gender- neutral housing, in some roomes in Bush Hall and Latin Way. This program is an option for students who feel more comfortable living with someone of another gender.
In an email sent to Tufts students on Feb. 3, ResLife Director Yolanda King said that the option is available for all returning sophomores, juniors and seniors.
"Open housing is an arrangement whereby two students, regardless of sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation may mutually agree to share a room within designated residence hall(s) and apartment(s) on campus," King said in the email.
Tufts has offered gender neutral housing in apartment suites for a number of years but is now extending the option to rooms, according to the email.
"This year, we are adopting the practice of many other colleges and universities around the country by extending the option to bedrooms," King said in the email.
Because the option is in its experimental stages, gender-neutral housing will only be available in certain rooms in Bush Hall and specific suites in Latin Way.
King explained that registration for gender-neutral housing will take place manually using a brief application rather than electronically. The application, which can be found on the ResLife website, is due by 5 p.m. on March 2 to the ResLife office in South Hall.
The application consists of a one-page mutual request form. After the application is complete, an appointment will be scheduled for the students to pick rooms based on their lottery numbers, King said.
All applicants will be notified of their appointment times beginning March 12 and will need to visit the ResLife office between March 13 and March 16 at their scheduled time. The goal is to ultimately make the application process available electronically, according to King.
Since the option is new, there is concern that students may not know about this alternative to standard housing arrangements, according to King. ResLife has advertised the information by posting the information on the ResLife website as well as in the Housing Lottery Selection Information booklet.
King said that she is excited that the university is offering another living option, as many of Tufts' peer institutions already do.
Grainne Griffiths was actively involved in the decision to make this housing option available to returning students.
Griffiths, a sophomore, entered the process as a member of Students Acting for Gender Equality (SAGE), a student activism group that is affiliated with the Women's Center.
Griffiths said that the idea for the process was sparked by former University President Lawrence Bacow's email to the Tufts community last spring asking for feedback on ways the administration could show support after a string of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) suicides. In response, SAGE prepared a three-part proposal, according to Griffiths.
"One part of the proposal was a request for gender-neutral, or open, housing," Griffiths said. "The administration responded favorably, and SAGE, led by [then-senior] Tom Calahan, put together an extensiveproposalfor an open housing program based on programs at several other schools."
The program was pitched to the academic steeringcommitteeby Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman and subsequently deemed necessary, according to Griffiths.
Griffiths said that she and Alyson Weiss, a senior, took over the project once Calahan graduated.
"Last semester, Dean Reitman convened an open housing working group to create the actual policy," Griffiths said. "Together, we worked to hammer out logistics and pulled together a [frequently asked questions] section with help from other members of SAGE."
"I think that this open housing program is tremendously important," she added. "Many students may feel uncomfortable living with someone of their assigned sex, and open housing ensures that everyone has the opportunity to live with someone they are comfortable with in a way that is in accordance with our non-discriminationpolicy."
