University of Idaho to allow mixed-gender housing

BOISE — The University of Idaho will allow students of the opposite sex to live together in campus suites when the fall semester begins in August. Previously, the university in northern Idaho has allowed male and female students to live in the same dormitory halls, but they could only live together in campus apartments if they were married. University housing recruitment coordinator Tina Deines says students who live in campus suites at the Living Learning Communities housing complex this fall will have the option of being housed with the opposite sex. Students who live in the mixed-gender suites must be in their sophomore year or older. The housing complex includes 600 students who live in suites with communal living areas and separate bedrooms. The area of the complex designated for students of mixed gender can hold about 75 students. Deines says the university will not allow students of the opposite sex to live in the same bedroom during the 2009-2010 school year, but specific requests may be considered in the future.