The Office of Residence Life & Services, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and the LGBT Center are collaborating to coordinate, for the 2015/16 academic year, a Gender Inclusive Housing (GIH) option for students who are transgender,gender non-conforming, non-binary or exploring gender identity/expression or allies of the community.
The GIH option will allow students to live with other students in a non-binary housing option. Students in GIH suites, apartments and rooms can live with other students regardless of their gender identity/ expression. GIH also seeks to createinclusive and supportive living environments for students.
2015/16 GIH PLAN FOR CURRENT STUDENTS
If you are a current student who is interested in GIH and you have not identified a group to live with for the room selection process, please fill out the Gender Inclusive Roommate Connector Form by Sunday, March 15, 2015.
The LGBT Center and Residence Hall Association are hosting a GIH Roommate Mixer on Monday, March 16, 2015 at 6:00 p. m. in the LGBT Center in Tinkham Veale 179. This event will provide students an opportunity to be introduced and to connect with other students interested in living in a GIH space. Understanding that there is a wide variety of housing options, and to offer maximum flexibility and choice, students selecting GIH may select who they want to live with, where, and in what type of housing.
If you are a current student interested in living in GIH and cannot attend the mixer to meet potential roommates, please fill out the form above and you will be contacted by a staff member in the LGBT Center to talk about GIH housing and roommate options.
As a reminder, students are also welcome to participate in any current room selection optionsincluding co-ed housing, single-gender housing and Greek housing. Upperclass students may also participate in the single apartment lottery process.
2015/16 GIH PLAN FOR INCOMING FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
In anticipation of supporting the needs of incoming students, the Office of Residence Life & Services, Residence Hall Association (RHA) and the LGBT Center are collaborating to develop a GIH pilot for incoming first year students. To better serve incoming students in exploring this housing option, the Director of the LGBT Center and the Associate Director of Residence Services will be identified as contact resources on the housing website to assist first year students interested in GIH. More details to follow.
SUPPORT/EDUCATION/TRAINING FOR RESIDENCE LIFE STAFF
The Office of Residence Life & Services is committed to working with the LGBT Center and others across campus to provide specific training and education to the Residence Life staff for the 2015/2016 academic year. The purpose of this ongoing training is to create an inclusive, safe space for those living in GIH as well as the broader on-campus housing population. The education will specifically address the needs of the transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary community as well as provide information and skills about how to best support those exploring issues of gender identity and expression.
THE FUTURE OF GIH @ CWRU
CWRU is committed to providing GIH options for all students living on campus. Based on the experiences of those involved in the 2015/2016 GIH housing option, research and best practices, as well as student input, the GIH option will be further developed for the 2016/2017 academic year and beyond.
The Office of Residence Life & Services, RHA and the LGBT Center look forward to working with the CWRU student community to provide long-term policies and procedures regarding GIH options.