Starting in the 2017/2018 academic year, Fairfield University will start offering gender inclusive housing. Gender inclusive housing provides a safe, affirming, and inclusive community living option for students of the following identities:
- Transgender,
- Gender queer
- Students who are currently transitioning genders
- Students who do not conform to society’s expectations of their assigned gender at birth
- Students who don’t identify with any sex or gender, students in the process of discovering their gender identity
- students who appreciate and respect individuals with those experiences and would prefer to live in a community compromised as such
Fairfield will be the second Jesuit institution in the 28 Jesuit network to have gender inclusive housing, the first to pioneer such a change was University of San Francisco.
This option will also be offered to incoming first year students of the class 2021. They will have the option to select to live in gender inclusive housing, and they will be paired with another student whom selects the same option.
This change in the housing policy has been occurring for over a year now according to Carrie Robinson, Assistant Director of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.
“It was really a call from the students who wanted this an option for their housing. Ophelie Rowe-Allen and myself have really lead [the initiative] from the administrative standpoint with the help of the Title IX coordinator Christine Brown and our Dean of Students,” Robinson states.
Due to the recent legislation, gender identity is a protected class in the state of Connecticut and therefore students should not worry whether there right to this type of housing be taken away at any point.
For student interested in participating in this type of housing opportunity, simply go to Fairfield.edu/genderinclusivehousing to apply.