Dear Spectator Editor,

We are writing in response to the “Trans Students Struggle to Secure Safe Housing” article published last week in the Spectator. Although the students who shared their experiences for the article encountered difficulty navigating the online housing portal, this was due to user error and not related to the students’ gender identities. Seattle University and our Housing & Residence Life (HRL) team care deeply about trans and gender non-conforming students and take proactive steps to create a safe and inclusive residential community for all students. One way we demonstrate care and live into our commitment to supporting and affirming trans and gender non-conforming students is through our “Gender Inclusive Housing Policy.” The policy allows students to live with other students who share their gender identity and/or who are affirming of their gender identity. The policy also allows students to use our online housing portal to search for or be matched with roommates who share or affirm their gender identity, or to create roommate groups of their choosing who can then select an available room or apartment together during the housing selection process.

The students referenced in the article encountered an error in the online housing portal because they didn’t follow the instructions for setting up their roommate groups in the portal with adequate time for the system to process their requests. HRL provides ample notice and several reminders about this process in advance to help students have a seamless user experience. If students try to create a roommate group and select a room too close to their appointment time (same day/day before), a warning will pop up on screen to alert them to the error. We also have information on the roommate group page that lets students know that if they create roommate groups on the same day/day before, they should contact the HRL office to ensure their groups are set up correctly so they don’t run into errors.

Other than the few students who create same-day/day-before roommate groups and don’t contact the office to request assistance, we rarely hear about students experiencing issues navigating the online housing portal. The error the students in the article ran into, which does not happen frequently, would have happened to any roommate group who tried to create their group and select a room on the same day as their housing selection appointment time.

The reporting in The Spectator is unfortunate because it suggests that the HRL team neither cares about our trans and gender non-conforming students nor considered their experiences when developing the housing selection process. This narrative couldn’t be further from the truth. HRL goes above and beyond to accommodate students’ housing needs to the best of their ability and constantly considers how our processes, systems, and language influence students’ sense of belonging and inclusion on campus. Much of the housing selection process language and workflow comes directly from feedback and suggestions from students, including members of the Triangle Club and other student leaders.

All of the students referenced in the article were contacted by HRL and provided assistance to ensure they were able to select a room with their roommate groups. While students don’t always get the exact rooms they want, HRL does everything it can to honor the needs and preferences of all students in their efforts to create an outstanding residential experience that is safe and inclusive. HRL also endeavors to incorporate student feedback to make ongoing improvements to our systems in order to create a seamless and welcoming experience. Students who have questions, concerns, or suggestions about the online housing portal, the housing selection process, or any other part of their residential experience are invited and encouraged to contact HRL by visiting in-person in Campion 100 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays thru Fridays), calling (206) 296-6305, or emailing housing@seattleu.edu.