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Specialized Communities

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie is committed to providing identity-conscious housing options and strives to make on-campus housing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for all students. The Queer Community and Stever 5 are opportunities for students inclusive of any sex assigned at birth, gender identity, or gender expression to share a room in select house communities. Both options are slightly different:

  • The Queer Community is designed for students in the LGBTQ+ community.
  • Stever 5 is for any student who agrees to all-gender bathroom living.

Queer Community

The Queer Community is an opt-in residential community and is open to any student, but specifically designed for students who are LGBTQ+, trans/nonbinary, and those exploring gender identity. Specific programming will be offered by the Welch House team and other campus partners. The Queer Community is in Welch House, one of CMU's suite-style communities, and allows students to live in the same room with any other student inclusive of sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender expression, and/or sexual orientation. In suite-style bathrooms, students share their bathroom with their roommate and two other students in an adjacent room. Students are also responsible for cleaning their bathroom. Note: Students who opt into the Queer Community and do not choose their own roommate may be placed with a roommate of any gender identity. The Queer Community is not intended for romantic couples.

The Application Process

Students who are interested in the Queer Community should:

  1. Select the "Queer Community" option from the Specialized Communities page of the housing application.
  2. List the Queer Community building (Welch House for 2023-24) as their top building preference on their first-year housing application. 

Residents who opt into the Queer Community will be assigned together on a floor within the designated house community. Generally, the Queer Community will be located in a building with semi-suite style rooms. 

Roommates  

First-year students who apply to live in the Queer Community can see other applicants of the Queer Community on the roommates page of the housing application. Students can contact prospective roommates through the housing application or request roommates they contacted independently. Both roommates need to have selected the Queer Community in their housing application in order to be able to find and confirm each other as roommates. 

Students are not required to identify their own roommate. If a student does not indicate a roommate on their housing application, they will be assigned another roommate who preferenced wanting to live in the Queer Community based on their compatibility as determined by their roommate profile responses.

Stever House 5

Stever 5 (all-gender bathrooms) is open to all first-year students and provides students the opportunity to share a traditional double room with a roommate of the same or different identity/expression. Bathroom facilities on Stever 5 will be open to any resident of any gender/gender identity. There are 2 all-gender restrooms on the floor and each toilet and shower stall is enclosed within floor-to-ceiling walls with lockable doors. Note: Students who opt in to Stever 5 who do not choose their own roommate will be placed with a roommate of the same gender identity. Stever 5 is not intended for romantic couples.

The Application Process

  1. Select the "Stever 5" option from the Specialized Communities page of the housing application.
  2. List Stever House as their top building selection on their first-year housing application.

Residents who opt into the Stever 5 community will be assigned together on the designated floor in Stever House.

All-gender bathrooms mean sharing bathrooms with individuals of all gender identities. All designated bathrooms/restrooms within the all gender housing portfolio are gender-neutral and configured in various ways (e.g. suite style bathroom, hallway bathroom/restroom with single stalls, etc.). 

In Stever House, there are two all gender floor bathrooms/restrooms shared by the 45 residents on the All Gender Housing floor. Each all gender bathroom/restroom on the floor has single-stall showers with a privacy shower curtain, single-stall toilets, and multiple sinks. This arrangement allows for multiple residents of the floor to use the facilities simultaneously with a degree of privacy. 

If you have questions about the bathrooms/restrooms in All Gender Housing, please contact our office rmassign@andrew.cmu.edu or the Stever House Housefellow. 

Students interested in living on Stever 5 are encouraged to self-select roommates who also wish to live on Stever 5. However, if you do not specify a roommate, Housing Services will pair you with a roommate of the same gender identity who also indicated an interest in Stever 5.

There are many housing options available on campus, including one all women’s. Since roommate assignments are based on student preferences, you will not be assigned to all gender housing unless you request it through the housing application. Staff in Residential Education and Housing Services are able to meet with students to discuss all available housing options.

Resources

The Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion offers resources to achieve an inclusive and transformative experience for all students. The Center supports and connects historically underrepresented students in their experience at Carnegie Mellon. In the pursuit of equity, the Center also coordinates a network of faculty and staff interested in collectively advancing a more inclusive campus climate for all CMU students. Students interested in LGBTQ+ resources should contact the Center.