Gender-neutral housing comes to East Campus

For the first time in Duke's history, all undergraduate students have access to gender-neutral housing—but freshmen have not yet taken advantage of it.

The Class of 2018 were the first freshmen to be given the choice of gender-neutral housing on East Campus, but there are no rooms with occupants of different genders, said Dean for Residential Life Joe Gonzalez. Despite the lack of participation, however, administrators and student groups are pleased with the progress—marking the culmination of advocacy that began several years ago and coming after positive responses to gender-neutral housing on West and Central Campuses.

With gender-neutral housing on all three campuses, administrators will assess the program before making any changes or expanding, Gonzalez said.

“There are no immediate plans to expand – now that we have the option available on all three campuses, we have accomplished the initial goal for implementing the program, and I think at this point we want to see how demand goes and see how many students request and take advantage of it,” Gonzalez noted, adding that there are many students who ask to be a part of a gender-neutral housing community, even if their roommates are of the same gender.

"Student opinion is firmly behind it." —Zachary Gorwitz

Wilson Residence Hall was chosen as East Campus' gender-neutral location for its suite-style layout and private bathrooms. The dormitory houses 100 students, though none took advantage of the option. Gonzalez said he could not specify how the option was noted on the housing application.

Conversation regarding gender-neutral housing on campus has been active at least since 2007, when a parent voiced concerns about a transgender student living on a same-sex West Campus hall. In 2008, Campus Council approved a gender-neutral bathroom in Kilgo Quadrangle, and in 2010, the Council approved gender-neutral housing on Central Campus, with West Campus following a few years later.

“This is something that started a number of years ago with a handful of organizations that have championed this concept over the past two to three years, advocating for gender-neutral housing and then expanding it,” Gonzalez said.

"Gender-neutral housing is a very safe space for students who don’t identify as cisgender, so it’s a very affirming residential space for transgender students." —Daniel Kort

Gonzalez noted that the demand for gender-neutral housing has not yet met the level of available rooms, so there is no plan to expand the program now that it is on all three campuses.

In independent housing, there are currently 12 apartments on Central Campus with occupants of mixed genders, and four rooms on West Campus with occupants of mixed gender, Gonzalez said. Additional students live in gender-neutral housing as part of selective living groups, he added.

“Student opinion is firmly behind it – a lot of people supported the idea and there was no push back,” said Gorwitz. “It is amazing and very important that Duke Housing provided this option to the students who wanted it.”

Blue Devils United President Daniel Kort, a senior, noted the importance of gender-neutral housing for transgender students.

“I think that gender-neutral housing is a very safe space for students who don’t identify as cisgender, so it’s a very affirming residential space for transgender students,” Kort said.

Kort lived in gender-neutral housing last year in Few and described his experience as positive, noting that he expects demand to grow as word the continues to spread. Bringing gender-neutral housing to selective living groups should particularly help raise awareness of the option, he said.

“It was not so much that I necessarily wanted to have a female roommate, but that the person that I wanted to room with happened to be female," Kort said. "I’ve been very satisfied with my experience with gender-neutral housing.”