WSU Housing and Residence Life is committed to making each resident feel welcomed
and included in our campus communities; including an environment welcoming to all
gender identities and forms of gender expression.
Students who need special accommodation due to gender identity/expression should contact
Housing and Residence Life either through the application process or by directly contacting
our office.
Please note that:
- The request will be handled through a confidential process and staff will not ask for more information than is required to meet students' housing needs.
- Placement priority will be given to students who notify our office before April 1 each year and who require accommodations based on their gender identity/expression.
- Later requests will be handled as appropriate spaces become available.
Possible housing accommodations could include:
- Living with a preferred roommate.
- Living in a single room with a private bathroom.
- Having HRL staff seek out possible roommates who would be supportive
We recognize that some students may have a preferred name/nickname different than their birth certificate name and we know that using one name or the other may pose different safety concerns in certain circumstances. Students will be asked to provide a preferred name/nickname, but please note the circumstances in which housing staff will use each name: for all external communications, such as mailings sent to your home, we will use your birth certificate name and for all internal communications, such as when you speak directly to Housing staff or when RA's make name tags to put on your door, we will use your preferred name. Filling out your preferred name or nickname is also important if you intend to request a mailbox with us as we can only deliver mail to you if the name on the mail matches what we have in our system. Providing this information now will help ensure that our records are accurate and that we get mail to you in a timely manner.
If you have questions, please contact:
Nathan Lewis
Associate Director of Business Operations
316-978-3692
nathan.lewis@wichita.edu
Roommate Conflicts
If a student has a conflict with a roommate because of their gender identity and/or expression they can utilize their RA as a resource. If the student should need further help, they can see their Residence Life Coordinator. RLCs are full-time, professional staff members. All Residence Life staff have taken part in training specifically on gender identity/expression issues provided through Wichita State’s Office of Human Resources. Another resource available is the staff at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, located in the Rhatigan Student Center.