What is Gender Inclusive Housing?

Gender Inclusive Housing seeks to provide a living environment welcoming to all gender identities, not one limited by the traditional gender binary. Gender Inclusive Housing allows for students of any gender/non-gender to live together in a University Housing environment in which they feel safe and supported, regardless of gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

Why offer Gender Inclusive Housing?

There are numerous reasons why a student would need or want to live in a more gender-inclusive housing assignment. Gender Inclusive Housing gives our students the opportunity to select their roommates/suitemates without restrictions based on gender identity or sex assigned at birth. That could include friends, partners, relatives and others who would prefer to live with someone of a different gender. Pursuing this initiative has been a supported by LGBTQ+ Programs & Services, Residence Hall Association, Student Government Association, and many other student organizations at NKU. As of 2019, more than 200 colleges and universities around the nation offer some form of gender-inclusive housing for their residential students.

What is the application and assignments process for Gender Inclusive Housing?

For a full explanation of the Gender Inclusive Housing application process, please see the Gender Inclusive Housing Procedures, Terms & Conditions, available on the NKU Housing website.

Can students randomly be assigned to a room designated as a Gender Inclusive Housing space?

No. Gender Inclusive Housing is opt-in only; no student will be assigned to a gender-inclusive living situation without their expressed consent.

What if a student chooses to live in a gender-inclusive arrangement and becomes uncomfortable with the situation?

Students will have the option to dissolve their group and move into traditional housing accommodations if Gender Inclusive Housing does not work for them.

What if parents don't want their child to live in a gender-inclusive housing space? Will parents be notified if their child requests Gender Inclusive Housing?

It is the student's choice to tell their parent or guardian about their decision to live in Gender Inclusive Housing. Per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), University Housing cannot disclose information specific to a student’s housing assignment without the student’s written consent.

What are the Gender Inclusive Housing accommodations like?

For the 2021-2022 academic year, we have designated Gender Inclusive Housing spaces in the New Hall, Norse Hall, University Suites, and Callahan Hall, allowing for groups of 4 (New Hall, Norse and US) and groups of 2 (Callahan) students to live together regardless of gender identity or sex assigned at birth. All rooms/suites that are available for Gender Inclusive Housing have private, full bathrooms (minimum one toilet and one shower) en suite.

Can couples live together under this policy?

Yes. Gender Inclusive Housing is an option for students to live in an environment that makes them feel safe and supported, regardless of gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

Gender Inclusive Housing Procedures, Terms & Conditions

Gender Inclusive Housing seeks to provide a living environment welcoming to all gender identities, not one limited by the traditional gender binary. Gender Inclusive Housing allows for students of any gender/non-gender to live together in University Housing accommodations in a platonic environment in which they feel safe and supported, regardless of sex assigned at birth.

Application Procedures

1. All applicants must meet with the Gender Inclusive Housing Coordinator and complete the necessary application materials before receiving a Gender Inclusive Housing room assignment. Meetings may be completed via phone, video conferencing software (Zoom), or in person, at the discretion of the Coordinator. It is your responsibility, as the applicant(s), to reach out to the Coordinator for a meeting.
   • For the 2021-2022 academic year, Gender Inclusive Housing will be coordinated by the Associate Director of Residence Life, Brittany Jackson. She can be contacted at jacksonb14@nku.edu.
2. Prior to your meeting with the Coordinator, complete the Gender Inclusive Housing Application & Agreement. This form provides University Housing with basic information about you, such as name, pronouns, student ID number, class year, etc. It also serves as a written contract outlining the Gender Inclusive Housing Policies, Terms & Conditions.
   • If you already have a roommate or suitemates in mind, their names should be listed on the Application & Agreement. Please note that all members of a potential roommate pair/group must list all other members of the group in order to ensure mutual consent between all parties. All roommates/suitemates must complete the full Gender Inclusive Housing application process, including meeting with the Coordinator and submitting the Application & Agreement.
   • If your desired roommate group cannot completely fill a room/suite, you will be assigned another individual student who has also applied for Gender Inclusive Housing in order to fill any vacant bedspaces.
   • If you do not have any potential roommates in mind (which is common for first-year students), you will be placed with other individual students who have also applied for Gender Inclusive Housing.
3. Submit your completed Application to the Coordinator via email prior to your meeting. During your meeting, the Coordinator will review the policies, terms, and conditions associated with Gender Inclusive Housing. The Coordinator will go through all paperwork and ensure it is signed and ready for submission.
4. Once the Coordinator submits all paperwork to the University Housing office, we will assign you to a designated Gender Inclusive Housing room, based on availability. Please allow up to one week for your assignment to be posted/updated.

Terms and Conditions

1. To be considered for Gender Inclusive Housing, students must complete the NKU Housing/Dining Agreement and pay any necessary pre-payment fees, via the NKU Housing portal. We highly recommend that students also complete the General Room Selection process, to ensure you are guaranteed a space in University Housing for the upcoming academic year. If your Gender Inclusive Housing application is approved, University Housing will make the necessary changes to your room assignment at that time.
2. Acceptance into the Gender Inclusive Housing program is not guaranteed. Assignment to Gender Inclusive Housing spaces is based on availability and the successful completion of all application materials and meeting requirements. University Housing cannot guarantee an assignment to the specific building of your choice, but all requests will be considered.
3. All communication regarding the Gender Inclusive Housing application process will be done via email to the applicant’s NKU email address.
4. University Housing reserves the right to consolidate students in Gender Inclusive Housing, if necessary.
5. Students who apply for Gender Inclusive Housing must be in good judicial standing with the University.
6. If an opening occurs within the Gender Inclusive Housing room/suite (i.e., if someone cancels their Gender Inclusive Housing Application or moves out mid-academic year), the vacant space will be filled by one of the following methods:
   • The students in the room/suite will have five (5) business days to pull in another roommate to fill the vacancy. This person must either be currently living on campus or eligible for on-campus housing.
   • If, after five (5) business days, the roommate group has not identified a roommate to fill the space, another individual student who also applied for Gender Inclusive Housing may be assigned to the space.
   • If the students in the group do not pull in a roommate, nor is there another individual Gender Inclusive Housing applicant available to fill the vacancy, then the room/suite may be re-designated from a Gender Inclusive Housing space to a traditional housing space. This will more often than not result in students being forced to move to different housing. The Housing office will work with the students to facilitate moving and address any concerns. Reassignment will be based on best match among available beds.

Contact

If you have any questions about the above Procedures, Terms & Conditions, please contact Brittany Jackson, Associate Director of Residence Life, at jacksonb14@nku.edu.