The Undergraduate Senate passed a bill encouraging AU to make gender-neutral housing an easily accessible option for freshman and transfer students.
Gender-neutral housing is currently available in suites in Centennial Hall and Nebraska Hall, but not in individual rooms. Housing and Dining introduced this policy at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, The Eagle previously reported.
The University has taken steps toward gender-neutral housing, but it takes time to implement this new system, said Student Government President Tim McBride, an advocate for the bill.
“There is progress that has to be made in terms of educating people on this because gender and sex is an incredibly complicated concept that we’ve been taught the wrong things for 3,000 years,” McBride said.
The bill calls for campus-wide gender-neutral housing, urging AU to look to George Washington University as an example. GW has gender-neutral housing for all of its residence halls.
“This is something the students want, that the student body demands,” McBride said.
The Senate also passed a bill calling for AU to close its offices on all federal holidays. While AU is closed most of these days, there are a few holidays during which the school remains open.
hmongilio@theagleonline.com
