Gender-Inclusive Housing at Wartburg College
The Department of Residential Life at Wartburg College is committed to offering comfortable, welcoming, and secure housing options for all students. Gender-inclusive housing is a policy that allows students of differing gender identities to inhabit the same room/suite/townhouse within Knights Village, the Waverly or Afton Manors, or the Residence. Wartburg College is dedicated to providing inclusive housing options for students who feel uncomfortable living in a gender specific room, suite, or townhouse. Wartburg respects the privacy of all students and will not require students to provide a reason for wanting to live in a gender-inclusive housing option.
GENDER INCLUSIVE HOUSING POLICY
The following policy and conditions are applicable to students who elect to live in gender-inclusive townhouses and suites on the Wartburg College campus.
- Students may choose to request suitemates of any gender.
- The Residential Life Department will only honor those requests made by all parties living within the same suite/townhouse.
- Only students with eligibility to live in Knights, the Waverly Manors, and the Residence are allowed to apply for gender-inclusive housing in these living communities.
- Returning students must apply with their prospective roommate and suitemates following all of the same processes and deadlines of all students entering the housing lottery.
- Students will not be required to disclose their reasons for opting to live in gender-inclusive housing, although romantic relationships within the same suite/townhouse are not suggested or encouraged.
- Students will not be assigned to gender-inclusive suites/townhouses without their consent or knowledge.
- When living in a suite/townhouse style room, conflicts are common. We strongly encourage our applicants for gender-inclusive housing to choose suitemates based on common room etiquette and utilize a roommate contract. Room change requests due to roommate conflicts will be addressed the same as any other conflict.
- With the instance of a vacancy within a suite/townhouse that is gender-inclusive, the vacancy can be filled with someone all parties agree upon. This student must also be eligible to live in Knights Village, the Manors, and the Residence in accordance to that residence policy. Failure to accept a new roommate without valid concerns will result in a single room charge to the room that has the vacancy.
- Any suite/townhouse within Knights Village, the Manors, and the Residence can be gender-inclusive. This avoids segregation to all students eligible for Knights Village, the Manors, and the Residence. The default suite/townhouse in these spaces will be single-gender unless the students selecting the space are a gender-inclusive group. Once a suite/townhouse is designated gender-inclusive, it will continue to be gender-inclusive until the students no longer inhabit that suite/townhouse.
- Gender-neutral bathrooms exist in Knights Village, the Manors, and the Residence townhouses presently. These rooms have in-house bathrooms and showers which offer personal privacy with the availability to lock when in use.
Cohabitation Policy
Cohabitation (living within a dorm room, suite, or townhouse) is not permitted for couples who have a romantic relationship at Wartburg College. This is regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. If a romantic relationship is discovered between roommates or suitemates within a gender-inclusive room, then Residence Life may alter visitation access or enforce a room change.