Boston University’s Student Government passed the gender-neutral housing initiative, said SG Director of Communication Cherice Hunt.
“This is something that the university has approved,” she said.
Hunt said no specific details are known at this point, but that gender-neutral housing will be an option in the future.
After years of pushing for these gender-neutral accommodations, SG sent an emailed flyer to students where “gender-neutral housing” was checked off in a graphic Wednesday night.
“The meetings are still going on,” Hunt said. “The talks are still ongoing. This has been nowhere near totally figured out — it’s just something that we’re really excited that the university has given us approval.”
In the spring 2012 semester, SG presented an official gender-neutral housing proposal to the administration after creating a subcommittee, surveying students and gathering input.
SG officials announced in September that administrators were considering the proposal and discussing different options, and that signs were “very bright” for it to come to campus.
Gender-neutral housing would be available as a specialty housing option in the 2013 housing cycle, SG officials said in September.
In March, the gender-neutral housing subcommittee announced a five-part plan to integrate the proposal. Each step would be implemented one per year at the beginning of the housing year in March.
The first step would test gender-neutral rooms in suite- and apartment-style residences, such as some South Campus apartment-style residences, Student Village I and StuVi II.
The second step in the proposal would increase the dorm rooms available in the suite- and apartment-style locations. Resident assistants would be trained as gender-neutral housing spreads to additional residences.
In the third step, gender-neutral housing would also become an option in East Campus apartment-style residences, including those on Bay State Road.
The fourth step in the proposal would have gender-neutral housing implemented in Myles Standish Hall, Shelton Hall and 1019 Commonwealth Ave., which would incorporate a younger demographic.
In the fifth and final step, all residences would implement gender-neutral housing.
After four years of implementing the policy, students and administration would evaluate how gender-neutral housing would work in Warren Towers, The Towers, Claflin Hall, Rich Hall and Sleeper Hall.
However, Hunt said at press time she could not confirm when or where gender-neutral housing will be implemented.
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