ASMSU officials Teresa Bitner and Michael Mozina listen during a meeting on Sept. 12, 2013 at Student Services. The undergraduate student government was conducting its first committees meeting of the year. Georgina De Moya/ The State News.
A bill passed Thursday evening at an ASMSU committee meeting to allow the undergraduate student government to advocate for flexible housing for freshmen. Flexible housing would allow students to freely choose their roommate, regardless of their gender.
“The idea is to create a safe environment (for freshmen), it’s basically a floor that would be safe and accepting for students. That’s the goal,” social relations and policy sophomore Colin Wiebrecht said.
Wiebrecht said for students who identify with a different gender than their biological sex, flexible housing already is available in West McDonel and North Wonders halls.
“The reason why I introduced this bill is because I myself ended up with a homophobic roommate my freshman year,” Wiebreacht said, explaining that he had to move floors midway through the semesters.
Since freshmen already must live on-campus, Wiebrecht said, making flexible housing might make it easier for them to adapt to their new college experience.
The committee also unanimously passed a bill allowing ASMSU to advocate for more gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.
“This will not be allover campus, it will be in a selected portion of it,” said Vice Chairman of the Policy Committee and environmental biology senior Mitchell Treadwell.
Wiebrecht said he was approached by people from the transgender community who said they find it stressful to choose which bathroom to use.
“My plan is to talk to the director of racial, ethnic and progressive affairs under the Residence Halls Association,” Wiebrecht said, adding that with both student governments backing him it would help with persuading the MSU to accept the bill.
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