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Furthermore, several respondents emphasized the importance of communication to
the general public and to parents/families as a way to alleviate confusion and ensure
support for gender-inclusive housing. One individual stated that it is important to
have " a clear and concise statement for open houses and admissions tours " because a
" 19-year-old tour guide and RA should be prepared to have a conversation with a parent
or family who is dismayed " that the campus offers GIH.
Finally, several respondents identified education about gender-inclusive housing
for students and staff as an important strategy. Education within living communities
(especially for staff) is necessary to ensure a respectful and positive living environment.
A statement made by one individual stands out: " Myth busting for our Custodial
& Trades Staff was most important " because these staff interact with students frequently
in settings outside the classroom.
DISCUSSION
This study fulfills the recommendation from Taub and colleagues (2016) for follow-up
studies to be conducted as a means of gauging the developmental growth trends of
gender-inclusive housing. The survey instrument was updated and revised to be more
current and contained additional questions that would collect more detailed data. Overall,
the findings indicate that GIH continues to be an area of interest and growth within
campus housing, with many respondents reporting that their institution has either
a full or trial GIH program in place. Compared to previous studies (Taub et al., 2016;
Willoughby et al., 2012), it became clear that moving beyond discussions and considerations
of GIH in order to focus more on actual implementation represents a much
more pronounced movement toward actually offering this housing.
Higher education institutions in the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Great Lakes
region, and the West reported a greater number of full or trial programs, whereas
those in the Southeast reported fewer full programs and more discussion in comparison
with other regions. In almost every region, if gender-inclusive housing was offered
at all, most respondents for each region were at full implementation except for
SWACUHO. The Southern states, which include SEAHO and SWACUHO, still have
many respondents in the exploration phase.
Respondents indicated three common obstacles to offering GIH: parent/family
concerns, public relations concerns, and a lack of suitable housing facilities. About
the same percentage of institutions reported encountering no obstacles at all; these
findings are similar to those of Taub and colleagues (2016). Parent/family concerns
and public relations concerns appear to have been common throughout the development
of GIH as a housing option. This is consistent with Miyamoto's (2007) observation
that campuses that had or were considering GIH were " wary of complaints from
Respondents indicated three common obstacles to offering GIH: parent/family
concerns, public relations concerns, and a lack of suitable housing facilities.
Volume 49, No. 2 * 2023 21
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