For the first time, students of the opposite sex at the University at Buffalo will be able to live together in on-campus housing. UB Campus Living will introduce gender-neutral housing into student campus residence halls and apartments in the fall.
The new program will set aside two floors in Ellicott Complex on the North Campus as gender neutral, in addition to several apartments in Hadley Village and Creekside Village, also on the North Campus. The designated housing will be available to all UB students, including incoming freshmen.
Unlike traditional housing which separates students by sex, gender-neutral housing will allow male and female students to live within the same resident halls and campus apartments. UB is the only university in Erie County to implement this housing option, though many colleges and universities throughout the U.S. have offered gender-neutral housing for several years.
The housing is anticipated to attract a broad range of students, from those who identify with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LBGT) to those who wish to live with their friends of the opposite sex.
“I do think the traditional housing that we offer meets the needs of the majority of our students,” said Brian Haggerty, senior associate director of campus living. “But if we only cater to the majority, then the rest of our students are missing what they need to be successful.”
While this is only the pilot year, the program is off to a successful start: the designated campus apartments already have been filled and the residence halls are approaching capacity. If it continues to thrive, the program will be expanded next year to include more housing units.
Read more on the UB Reporter, http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/2012_06_07/gender_neutral_housing