Q. What polices
can be put into place to accommodate transgendered students
in campus housing?
A. As more
and more universities begin to address the issue of making campus
housing more trans-friendly, various schools have tried many
different approaches to the question. Here’s a brief overview
of some schools and the policies they are implementing:
The University of Minnesota handles the
question of transgender housing on a case by case basis. Transgender
students often live in apartment style housing with a private
bedroom and bathroom while sharing living space with students
of the gender with which they identify (ex: FTM living with
M’s). When a transgender student wishes to live in traditional
housing with a roommate of the gender with which they identify
(ex: MTF living with F), administration interviews both students
to identify the motivation for wanting to live together, and
then considers granting the request. Although Housing would
prefer those students live in apartment style housing, their
priority is to meet student requests whenever possible.
In response to a proposal from their campus Queer
Union, Swarthmore’s Housing Comittee has introduced
50 co-ed rooms for sophomores, juniors, and seniors this fall
(2001). The rooms are assigned through a lottery system and
open to students regardless of sexual orientation or gender
identity, but they do provide a chance for transgender students
who want to room with people of the gender they identify with.
The University of Illinois at Chicago
policy housing policy begins with the acknowledgement that some
students who identify as transgender may be in transition. It
is the intention of Campus Housing to make room assignments
based on how the student is currently identifying in terms of
gender. UI Chicago currently houses trans students and feels
the application of this policy is successful.
Also, many colleges are working on creating unisex
bathrooms and locker rooms, or increasing the individual’s
privacy within these spaces to provide more comfortable options
for transgender students.
You may be interested in these related FAQs:
What
kind of programs and resources are available for trans students?
How can
an LGBT office serve intersexed people? Are they included under
the "T"? Are there specific suggestions of speakers or printed
materials we should acquire?
Is
there a good statement that I can use as to why we include the
"T" in our GLBT programs?
