Friday, April 20, 2018

Dear Students:

Beginning this fall, Harvard College will expand its offering of gender inclusivehousing to include first-year students. Gender inclusive housing allows students the option to live in multi-gender housing, and had previously been offered only to sophomore-senior classes. We are excited to expand this offering to our first-year students.
 
In alignment with the mission of the College, Harvard is committed to setting a standard for residential education, and a 21st century residential education system must take into account the myriad ways that students identify with respect to sex and gender. Gender inclusive housing acknowledges and reaffirms genderdiversity as an important aspect of our campus life by offering a pathway to housing that is not predicated on the notion that there are essential characteristics that render single-gender housing necessary. 
 
Sheehan Scarborough, Director of the Office of BGLTQ Student Life, shared the following: “This policy is the result of a year-long collaboration between Trans Task Force, the Freshman Dean's Office, the Office of BGLTQ Student Life, the Office of Housing and Residential Life, and the Admissions Office. It's an encouraging example of what's possible when students and administrators work together.” 
 
For more information, please visit the Office of BGLTQ Student Life website.

Sincerely,

Tom Dingman
Dean of Freshmen
Harvard College