The policy aims to benefit students who wish to live with family members, have disabilities that require living with a caretaker or who feel more comfortable living with a member of the opposite sex.
With about 80 spaces available in the residence halls, Collins said she expects flexible housing to expand after the first pilot year.

“We have overestimated demand for next year,” she said. “(But) we believe it will increase over time as people learn what it’s about.”

RHA President Sarah Pomeroy said she was expecting the process to take longer and was excited to find out the news last week.

“It’s so great to see something that students really want and something that’s going to benefit a lot of students,” she said.

Collins, who has held her position since January, said RHA’s persistence last year provided support for the policy and enabled her to develop a plan.

Collins said she met with both Pomeroy and Vennie Gore, Residential and Hospitality Services assistant vice president, regularly this semester to examine the proposed policy and determined it could be started on a limited basis starting in the fall.

Interdisciplinary humanities senior Shi Jimerson said although the policy makes logical sense and she has friends who might take advantage of it, it is not as important as other issues that should be addressed on campus, such as alcoholism, sexual assaults or racial tension.

Jimerson also said when the policy is implemented, it might create bad situations if siblings or couples choose to live together and don’t get along.

“There are always those that will use it well and those that will abuse it,” she said.

Flexible housing has been one of RHA’s priorities since last year, when a student group focusing on gender-neutral housing came to RHA for support, Pomeroy said.

She said she brought up the issue in conversations with administrators, including President Lou Anna K. Simon,
who was supportive of the policy.

Pomeroy previously said she hoped flexible housing could be implemented by fall 2013.

“We can’t be more thankful they listened to student concerns and drew it up in short amount of time,” she said.

English sophomore Barbara Johnston said although she wouldn’t take advantage of the policy, as she has grown used to living with girls, she said it might make students feel more comfortable having a choice.

“At this point, you’re given other freedoms (on campus),” she said. “It seems like the next logical step.”