Gender Neutral Housing - Frequently
Asked Questions
What is Gender Neutral Housing?
Gender neutral housing means the university has not predetermined
who can live together based on their gender, gender identification
or gender expression. The university is not going to ask students
to explain their rationale for wanting to live with another
student(s), but as long as the request is mutual and all students
involved are matriculated, enrolled upper-class students,
then they qualify for gender neutral housing. Students will
not be asked by the university to identify their own gender
during the room selection process. Gender neutral housing
is available on the second floor of the new Upperclass Hall
and on the east side of Philippi Hall, excluding the first
floor. Students signing up for Gender Neutral housing must
sign an additional contract that addresses what will happen
if a roommate(s) moves out.
Why is Gender Neutral necessary?
Gender neutral housing meets a need for some of our students
that up to now did not fit into our gender binary housing
restrictions. We have historically been asked by students
and parents to expand our housing options to accommodate opposite
sex siblings, opposite sex friends, opposite sex partners
(married and unmarried) and transgendered students. We think
this option mirrors the housing opportunities available to
students off campus but with the added convenience of on campus
life.
Is Gender Neutral Housing just for
upper-class students?
At this time, our gender neutral housing is located in the
upper-class halls. This housing will be made available on
a first come, first served basis during the Room Selection
process for upper-class students. This is not to say that
we would not make an exception for an incoming student to
live in gender neutral housing, but that would be based on
their specific situation and would require more information
than we ask of our upper-class students.
Why aren't all the rooms on campus
Gender Neutral?
This is for the same reasons that we are offering gender
neutral rooms. We want to give our students a very diverse
choice of housing options, ranging from single gender housing
on single gender floors on one end of the continuum through
gender neutral housing on the other end.
What if I want to live on a Gender
Neutral floor and my parents don't want me to, or vice versa?
That is a conversation that needs to occur between parents
and students. We would be willing - at the request of the
student, and as long as space was available - to move a student
off a gender neutral housing floor if a serious conflict occurred
between them and their parents.
How does the Gender Neutral contract
work?
The contract will work differently at different points of
the year. If a vacancy occurs during the academic year, the
Resident Director will hand deliver a return receipt letter
to the current resident(s) of the apartment, suite or room.
The Resident Director will deliver signed receipts to the
Residential Life assistant director. The assistant director
will send an e-mail to remaining residents' USM e-mail addresses,
instructing them to act on one of following options within
the time period specified in the e-mail (usually one week):
A. Finding a current upper class residential student or a
currently enrolled, matriculated upper class USM commuter
student to fill the space
B. Moving out of the current apartment/suite/room to fill
another gender neutral living space, depending on availability
C. Moving out of the current apartment/suite/room to another
space on campus, depending on availability
D. Paying for the vacant space in the current apartment/suite/room;
the pro-rated cost of the empty space(s) would be evenly divided
between the remaining resident(s).
If residents have not acted on one of the above options
by the deadline set in the e-mail, all will automatically
be charged for the open space(s) in the room, as specified
in option D.
Vacancies occurring over the summer will be handled on a
case by case basis through communication with the Assistant
Director.
A copy of the Gender Neutral Living contract may be requested
from Residential Life by e-mailing reslife@usm.maine.edu.
Why is a special contract required
to live on these floors?
We want to only have students living on the floors with roommates
that they have selected. We needed to spell out the obligations
should a roommate cancel.
What if you get put on a Gender
Neutral floor and you don't want to live there?
At this point, we have no plans to house people on gender
neutral floors who did not request to live there.
What happens if I want this type
of housing and I can't get in?
We will start a wait list if necessary at housing sign up.
I have other questions that were
not answered here. Who can I contact?
The coordinator for the Center for Sexualities and Gender
Diversity, Sarah Parker-Holmes, can help with many inquiries.
Contact her at sparker-holmes@usm.maine.edu
or 207-780-5767. Housing questions not answered above may
be directed to Jason Arey, assistant director of Residential
Life, at jarey@usm.maine.edu.
Philippi Hall
 Philippi
Hall opened in 2001 and is located adjacent to the Costello
Sports Complex. It houses 221 upperclass students in singles,
doubles, and 3 or 4 person suites. Students who are of legal
age may consume alcohol in their rooms. The hall has a common
kitchen on the first floor, study lounges in every wing, laundry
and vending machines, recycling/trash centers in every wing,
a tv lounge, a conference room, public restrooms on the first
floor. Residents use their USM Card to access their rooms.
Philippi Hall offers gender neutral living on the east side,
excluding the first floor, to any group of upper class students
who wish to share a suite or double room. Suites have their
own bathrooms, while double and single rooms have the convenience
of single user bathrooms located in the hall near their rooms.
Students living in these designated rooms may choose their
room/suite mate(s) without regard to the gender of either/any
resident(s). Students choosing to participate in this program
are committing to filling the entire room/suite with eligible
students for the full academic year, and must sign a supplemental
contract with the Department of Residential Life and Resident
Education. Please contact Residential Life for contract details.
The Upperclass Experience Living Learning Community is housed
in 1st West Philippi. To learn more about this community,
see the Upperclass Experience web page here.
New Upperclass Hall
Built adjacent to the Paula Hodgdon Athletic field, the newest
residence hall on the Gorham campus is centered in the heart
of the Gorham
campus. The building provides breathtaking and spectacular
views of the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the lakes
region of southern Maine.
This new hall has the distinction of being the first LEED
certified residence hall on the Gorham campus. The university
has taken extra care in monitoring the materials used during
the planning and construction phases of the new residence
hall.
Housing 296 upperclass students on four floors, the hall
is conveniently situated near Bailey Hall, the John Mitchell
Center and USM's athletics facilities. Apartments and suites
have their own private bathrooms, are fully furnished,
and feature, among other amenities, air conditioning, full
refrigerators or Microfridges, cable access and high speed
internet access. Wireless access is available throughout the
building. Students who are of legal age may consume alcohol
in their rooms. Students can relax in the study lounges or
play ping pong or pool in the recreation room.
The hall is home to USM's newest Living Learning Community,
the Sustainability Living Learning Community. This community
has a live-in faculty member; activities and programs are
centered around environmental issues and environmental science.
We invite you to explore more here.
Gender neutral suites and apartments are available on the
second floor. Students living in these designated rooms may
choose their roommate(s) without regard to gender. Students
choosing to participate in this program are committing to
filling the entire room/suite with eligible students for the
full academic year, and must sign a supplemental contract
with the Department of Residential Life and Resident Education.
Rooms are set up in four person apartment and suite style
living.
The front desk of the building is staffed with department
administrative support 8-4:30, six days a week. Student front
desk staff is on hand in the evenings for added security.
Student mail is sent to the new hall and sorted and delivered
each day by staff.
For further information or problems with this page, contact:
srooney@usm.maine.edu
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