For over two years the Inner House Council has been debating the issue and appealing to higher administration to have gender neutral housing approved and this past Friday the housing department finally caved. Open Housing has passed and students can now officially live with the opposite sex officially instead of “sexiling” their same-sex roommates. Well if they’re ready for that commitment.

Open housing has passed with the interests of University’s transgender community largely in mind. It has been approved for upperclassmen for next quarter, each situation judged on a case-to-case basis. The U of C joins peers like Dartmouth, U Penn, Brown, NYU, Harvard, Wash U and Stanford and there will be no limit to the amount rooms available in each (non same-sex) house.

The program will be officially instated in the fall of 2009 and will be available for entering freshmen next year. Those who request the option do not have to state a reason for their desire but U of C housing wants to stress that it is not intended to sever romantic couples. Because the Cory and Tapangas of the world aren’t going to take advantage of this. Just the same, way to go IHC for actually getting something done and way to go housing!