Gender Inclusive Housing

The Office of Residential Life seeks to provide a living environment welcoming to all gender identities. Inclusivity with the acknowledgement of intersectionality is a vital part of our mission to provide a supportive and healthy community. The Office of Residential Life strives to expand beyond the traditional understanding of gender as a binary and provide students with the access to live in both traditional and apartment style accommodations while validating their gender expressions and identities.

FIT Residential Life provides multiple options for students looking for Gender Inclusive Housing. Any student who has decided to live in a gender inclusive community may have roommates or suitemates whose gender identity and expression differ from their own. Students may live with other students who have the opposite gender from themselves or who do not have a specified gender.

Students who are in apartment style accommodations and opt into gender inclusive housing will live in an apartment where all suitemates of that space are comfortable with any person of any gender living with them. These students will share a bathroom, living area, and possibly a bedroom with another student whose gender may differ from their own.

Students who live in traditional style accommodations may live with a roommate(s) who have a gender identity or expression different from their own. Students in these living accommodations will continue to use communal style bathrooms that best fit their gender identity.

NEW: CoEd Hall - Gender Inclusive Project

The Office of Residential Life has acknowleged the need of more affordable housing options for students who require bathrooms which are not segregated by gender. We are proud to announce that starting in the Fall 2022, the 10th floor of CoEd Hall will be comprised completley of gender inclusive traditional style rooms with two gender inclusive communal style bathrooms. Policies around usage of these bathrooms will be decided by the community during their first floor meeting but may not limit a resident's access due to gender identity.

The bathrooms have been refitted with larger privacy walls between toilet stalls and changing areas in the showers to increase student privacy and comfortability. Construction is also being completed to allow for the expansion of this new initiate to the 9th floor of CoEd in the future.

Changing Gender Inclusive Housing Status

Any student may choose to live or not live in a gender inclusive community at any time. If a student living in a gender inclusive community wishes to remove themselves from that community they may do so by changing their assigned room via their Residential Education Coordinator. Students may update their preference on gender inclusive communities by logging into their myHousing. Students will have the option to indicate if they do or do not wish to live in GIH and answer some questions about their potential roommates.

To change your Gender Inclusive Status please follow these steps:

Log into myHousing
Click on “Personal Info” in the right hand navigation panel
Click on “My Info”
Choose the term you are updating by using the drop down arrows
Update the Gender Inclusive Housing indicator

The following are important notes to make regarding gender inclusive (GIH) changes.

If a student is in a gender inclusive assignment and HAS a roommate of a different gender but they no longer wish to live in a gender inclusive space that student will need to move, Residential Life will not relocate a roommate out of a space.
If a student has a vacancy in their room and they want to reevaluate their participation in GIH they may change their preference on their myHousing. This must be done prior to a new student being placed into the space. If a student changes their GIH preference after a new roommate is placed in that space by Residential Life, the first bullet point will apply.
All students of an apartment must opt into GIH in order to have a gender inclusive space.
If you do not wish to live in a gender inclusive space, you may reach out to your building’s Residential Education Coordinator to start the room change process.

Update your name, gender, and pronouns

You may log into your myHousing and change your identified gender, preferred FIRST name, and pronouns at any time by following these steps:

Log into myHousing
Click on “Personal Info” in the right hand navigation panel
Click on “My Info”
Choose the term you are updating by using the drop down arrows
Update any or all of the fields to match your identity and expression

What are these fields and how are they used?

Preferred FIRST Name: We use your preferred name on your door tags, emails we send to you, and when addressing you. We will also begin sending these to the mailroom so that packages with your preferred name can be correctly identified and sorted.
Pronouns: Pronouns to help us correctly refer to you in both written and verbal communication.
Gender Identity: Identified gender is used when placing students in housing and matching roommate pairs.

Who can see these?

The Office of Residential Life will not share changes you make to your myHousing profile with anyone but will use your preferred name in communication and door tags. If for any reason, you wish to keep these above fields private, please email us or visit our office so we can ensure your safety and wellbeing.

How do I change my ID and email address names?

When you change your name through your myHousing Portal, Residential Life does not share this information with the college. To change your email and ID you can visit the FIT Preferred Name Form via the Dean of Students.

FIT GENDER INCLUSIVE HOUSING OVERVIEW: <ul> <li>Residents who OPT-IN to Gender Inclusive will reside in accommodations with roommates of any sex or gender identity.</li> <li>Residents who OPT-OUT of Gender Inclusive will reside in accommodations with roommates of the same gender identity.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Gender inclusive housing is provided as an option in both first year and returning student residence halls.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Gender inclusive housing will be offered based on availability of space and interest amongst students.  In some cases, students with other housing accommodation needs may not be able to participate in gender-inclusive housing, however every effort will be made to find the most suitable housing for each student.</li> <li>Gender inclusive housing is available in <a href="/life-at-fit/residential-life/future-residents/residence-halls/alumni.php">Alumni Hall</a> (quad apartment accommodations only) for first year students and <a href="/life-at-fit/residential-life/current-residents/housing-selection/kaufman.php">Kaufman Hall</a> (double, triple, and quad apartments) for returning students.   </li> <li>On the <a href="/life-at-fit/residential-life/future-residents/index.php">housing application</a> for the upcoming academic year, students will be able to choose a gender-inclusive housing option.  Students CONFIRMED for housing will then be given the opportunity to select roommates from the pool of students also in gender inclusive housing, or with known roommates who have also opted-in.  This roommate selection process is the same as our current practice for all FIT students, but will be conducted without restrictions of sex or gender. Waitlisted students cannot be chosen as roommates.  </li> </ul>

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What is gender identity?

Gender identity describes the gender with which a person identifies (i.e., whether one uses man, woman, genderqueer, or additional terminology to describe oneself). One's gender identity may or may not differ from one's legal sex which is assigned at birth based on biological characteristics.

Do other colleges offer gender inclusive housing?

Yes. Currently over 200 colleges offer this option. FIT’s gender inclusive housing has been developed utilizing models from several metro area campuses, including Adelphi University and New York University, as well as campuses across the United States. A growing body of research has shown the positive effects this housing option can have on student success and retention.

Are there any national or NYC guidelines regarding gender inclusive housing?

Yes, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Department of Education, and NYC Commission on Human Rights have all set forth policies and laws to protect against gender discrimination.

How can I apply for this housing option?

To apply for gender inclusive housing, select the option through the online housing application.

What if I am interested in gender inclusive housing, but do not have any roommates?

If you do not have a roommate in mind prior to selecting gender inclusive housing, you will be given the opportunity to select a roommate from a group of other students who also selected this housing option. If you do not select a roommate through the matching process, your roommate(s) will be assigned to you.

If I apply for gender inclusive housing am I guaranteed a space?

Unfortunately, like all of our housing options, there are a limited number of spaces available. If more students apply for gender inclusive rooms than there is available space, students that are not able to select a room will be placed on a gender inclusive housing waitlist.

What if I prefer to be housed based on my legal sex?

Students will be assigned spaces that correspond to their legal sex, unless they opt into gender inclusive housing or indicate gender identity on their housing application. Gender inclusive housing allows students of any gender to live together.

Who is eligible to be housed based on gender identity?

All students may be housed based on their gender identity. This option is open to all students, regardless of identity. Students will provide gender identity information on their housing application and be given a housing assignment that correlates with their self-identified information, rather than their legal sex. They will be permitted to live in a gender-specific space that corresponds with their gender identity.

Is this only for students who are transgender or are members of the LGBTQ community?

No. This option can benefit any individual since a student has the ability to choose or be assigned a roommate with whom they would feel most comfortable.

Can students be randomly assigned to a roommate of a different gender?

No. Roommates will never be randomly assigned to students of a different gender identity who did not indicate interest in living in gender inclusive housing. However, we make assignments based on indicated gender identity and not legal sex.

Does this policy encourage heterosexual couples to room together?

No. The assumption or fear that heterosexual couples would live together does not take into account LGBTQ students who may be in relationships and living together now. Gender inclusive housing would allow those students to live apart from one another. We discourage any student in a relationship with another student from rooming together.

Can I live with my current partner?

While the Office of Residential Life will not restrict whom you live with, we discourage students who are in an intimate relationship, regardless of sexual orientation, from living together.

Would women be at higher risk for sexual or physical assault if sharing a room with a male?

This view is based on the assumption that sexual or physical violence is only perpetrated by men toward women, and does not take into account that men can assault other men; women can assault other women; or women can assault men. This proposal only allows for different sex roommates who mutually request to live together. We believe this will help decrease the chances of abuse by allowing students to specify a roommate that they know and can feel safe with. There is no evidence to support that violence or disputes is higher in rooms that are mixed-gender than rooms that are same sex. It is understood that violence against women is a concern on college campuses; however, we must understand that this violence can occur in any room on campus.

What if my parents don’t want me to live in a gender inclusive housing room?

It is the student’s choice to communicate with parents or family members about the decision to live in a gender inclusive housing option. We encourage students to talk with parents or family members about their housing choice so that they can be in support of the student’s decision. Residential Life will never share information about housing status or roommate assignments with anyone other than the student.

Benchmark Information

An article on The Emergence of Gender-Neutral Housing on American University Campuses (2012) published in the Journal of Adolescent Research outlined the increasing prevalence of gender inclusive housing on college campuses and a rise in campuses developing such practices. Campus Pride, the leading national nonprofit organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for LGBTQ students, maintains information regarding the availability of gender inclusive housing on college campuses across the United States. Their current list, which was last updated in 2015, names 205 institutions that offer gender inclusive housing in some form. This includes 24 institutions in the state of New York, including many SUNY campuses.

Research published in the Journal of LGBT Youth titled Gender-Inclusive Housing Preferences: A Survey of College-Aged Transgender Students (2013) stated that, “Transgender and gender-nonconforming students do take into account the availability of GIH [gender inclusive housing] in deciding on which college or university to attend, including whether the GIH option is available to incoming students.” To this end, offering gender inclusive housing carries potential for student retention.

Following an implementation at Ohio University, residence life professionals found that, “Several students cited the creation of the GNH community as the reason that they remained at Ohio University. In the focus groups, students remarked that the community felt more respectful and engaged than previous communities in which they had lived.” These findings were shared in Designing and Implementing a Successful Gender-Neutral Housing Community, in the Journal of College & Character (2014).

National & NYC Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) issued a Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students (.pdf) on May 13, 2016, outlining the obligations of educational institutions under Title IX regarding transgender students. In the area of student housing, the Dear Colleague Letter states, “Title IX allows a school to provide separate housing on the basis of sex. But a school must allow transgender students to access housing consistent with their gender identity and may not require transgender students to stay in single-occupancy accommodations or to disclose personal information when not required of other students.” FIT has amended our practices to reflect these obligations under Title IX and the instructions of the DOJ and DOE.

Furthermore, the NYC Commission on Human Rights outlined their expectations in the Legal Enforcement Guidance on the Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Expression: Local Law No. 3 (2002); N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 8-102(23), in December 2015 stating, “It is unlawful to refuse to sell, rent, or lease housing to someone because of their actual or perceived gender, including actual or perceived status as a transgender person. It is unlawful to withhold from any person full and equal enjoyment of a housing accommodation because of their gender.” FIT’s gender inclusive option ensures we are in compliance with the New York City-specific guidelines for housing.