These gender-neutral rooms do not cost the university more than regular dorm rooms, and the few students taking advantage of this option are not affecting the commonwealth of the on-campus community.

MSU now is one of many schools in the nation that allows gender-neutral housing, and if the university allows enough time and presents it as a viable option to students, more people likely will take advantage of this opportunity with time.

RHA passed the policy last March, adding MSU to a list of more than 50 colleges and universities across the country that allow gender-neutral housing.

Sophomores, juniors and seniors are able to use this option. RHA allotted 80 spots total this fall in Wonders and McDonel halls, but fewer than 10 students took advantage of the opportunity. The option was available beginning April 2 and will be available for a two-year pilot period before the Residence Education and Housing Services, or REHS, decides whether or not to keep the option permanent.

The decision to allow gender-neutral housing is a positive step for MSU toward making everyone comfortable with their surroundings, particularly members of the LGBT community who choose to live on campus. Many who identify with this community feel more comfortable living with their friends who are of the opposite sex rather than a member of the same sex. This option is particularly helpful to students who identify themselves as transgender, a minority within a minority.

Students did not take advantage of the opportunity this year because the decision to allow gender-neutral housing came near the end of last spring semester. Many students were not aware this was an available option, and those who found out most likely already planned their living arrangements for this fall and spring.

As more students become aware of this option, many more most likely will take advantage of the opportunity, choosing to live with a significant other or with a close friend of a different gender. And hopefully as they do so, REHS will spread the option to more residence halls on campus.

However, there still is a slight stigma attached to students who choose to live with a member of the opposite sex. Hopefully as more students take advantage of this opportunity, the decision to live in a gender-neutral room will become more widespread on campus, making it more of a social norm for students to live in gender-neutral rooms, eliminating this stigma.

And hopefully REHS will keep the policy around long enough for this to happen, without putting too much pressure on the program through its pilot period.

Flexible housing is another option MSU has implemented for the comfort of its students, and college can be a stressful time. So students should be able to live with whom they feel most comfortable with.