The University of Illinois is known for a diverse and inclusive campus, yet it is still in the process of providing more options for dorms to have gender-inclusive facilities.

In late January, University Housing sent emails to students residing in Allen Hall to take part in a survey to gauge interest in having a gender-inclusive restroom on one floor for a week-long trial. The survey closed on Jan. 30 and a housing committee met Wednesday to evaluate the results of the survey, which showed that no floors met the 75 percent threshold needed to implement the pilot program.

While the threshold was not met, Kirsten Ruby, associate director of housing for communications and marketing, emphasized that a high number of students expressed interest in creating the facilities.

“The survey got a good deal of interest on a couple of floors in Allen, but there wasn’t a single floor that responded high enough for us to proceed right away,” Ruby said.

Ruby said the main reason for proposing the survey was to explore ways that University Housing and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center can make the community more inclusive.

“One part of that, in a community like we have, is that a student who is transgender may want or choose to use a restroom, and they only have two choices,” Ruby said. “One way that a community could be more inclusive would be to provide a restroom that is identified as gender-neutral or gender-inclusive.”

Leslie K. Morrow, director of the LGBT Resource Center, said the group is trying to expand and reach out for gender-inclusiveness in residence halls.

“These are conversations that we had with housing, and we know that they’re willing to work with us and make those options,” Morrow said. “They’ve been a great partner and working alongside us. Matter of fact, they are the ones that reached out to us, quite honestly.”

By the end of February, University Housing staff plans to meet with the two floors that showed an exceptionally high interest in a gender-inclusive restroom.

Ruby said the next steps for Housing are to reach out to the students on the two floors and hold floor meetings to explore the students’ potential interests and concerns on this option.

“Even if the floors don’t enthusiastically embrace having a pilot week, it doesn’t mean that our gauging students’ interests will stop,” Ruby said. “I think it will be likely, but we would ask students again next semester, so in the fall, a similar question, to see if perhaps a different group of students might be interested in this.”

Stephanie Skora, senior in LAS and president of Campus Union for Trans Equality and Support, said the University cannot be inclusive for students if there are no gender-inclusive housing options.

“Gender-inclusive housing is not too far of a cry,” Skora said. “The real roadblock is actually getting it implemented and getting a system in place.”

Skora said there should at least be one gender-inclusive dorm, so transgender students and those who identify themselves as non-binary gender have more options.

“I’m really open to it because I think it will just create a safer environment for other people in general, just have them feel more secure in the place that they live,” said Hannah Alvarado, sophomore in Business and front desk clerk at Allen Hall. “If people really hear out the pros and cons of it, they’ll really understand the benefits to it, to the whole community in general.”

Jane can be reached at [email protected].