photo by: Shawn Valverde

Student protesters demonstrate outside of KU's Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

An issue regarding gender-neutral bathrooms has University of Kansas students on edge that KU leaders are bowing to a Trump administration demand to pull back on diversity and equity efforts on campuses.

It also has some KU students looking for a new place to live.

Residents of the Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall were informed by KU Student Housing earlier this month that a program that allowed for “gender inclusive” housing assignments would not be offered at Grace Pearson the next school year.

The voluntary program allowed roommate assignments to be made without regard to a student’s sex, meaning transgender students could room together, even if their biological sex did not match.

But in a letter to Grace Pearson residents, KU’s director of housing said the program wouldn’t be offered at Grace Pearson next school year, in part because KU leaders no longer were comfortable with the bathroom situation that comes with those living units. The units were served by a multi-toilet bathroom with a single shower stall. In her letter, Sarah Waters, executive director of Housing & Residence Life at KU, said that arrangement doesn’t comply with International Building Code standards.

Protesters who gathered on the lawn of Strong Hall on the KU campus on Wednesday suspected there was more to the change than that. Several said they were confident KU leaders were making the change in response to multiple statements by President Donald Trump and members of his administration about ridding higher education of “woke” policies.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Student protesters demonstrate outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

A student wears earrings with a message supporting gender-inclusive housing at KU on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Protesters display a banner outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

Student Rhoswyn Hicks was involved in working with KU Student Housing to create the Grace Pearson bathroom policy several years ago. Hicks said KU was aware at the time that the bathroom didn’t meet all of the technical requirements of the building code.

“It just seems like crap and excuses,” Hicks said of KU’s recent explanation for the change. “When we had our meeting with Housing, they were super unclear when asked about why this decision was happening now.”

The Grace Pearson program set aside gender-neutral rooms for up to eight residents. In their letter to Grace Pearson residents, student housing officials said KU would have one residence hall that would continue to offer gender-neutral room assignments. A portion of KK Amini Hall will be designated for gender inclusive housing assignments, according to the letter. Rooms in that hall could continue to be gender inclusive because community restrooms aren’t used to serve those living quarters. Rather, each suite has its own bathroom. The letter from KU did not provide information on how many rooms in KK Amini Hall would be part of the gender inclusive program.

Protesters on Wednesday also claimed that the rental rates for the rooms in KK Amini Hall would be significantly higher than at Grace Pearson, due to the suite-style living offered at KK Amini.

Michael Hanzelka is among the Grace Pearson residents who will be looking for a new place to live.

“I thought I was going to live here for my entire college years,” Hanzelka said. “Now, basically, this is telling me I can’t.”

Technically, transgender students could continue to live at Grace Pearson in the next school year, but they would need to be prepared to live with a roommate who doesn’t match the gender they identify with.

Hicks said that’s unacceptable for many transgender students.

“We have a right to housing that aligns with our identity, regardless of how our legally recognized sex aligns with that,” Hicks said.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Student protesters demonstrate outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

A student holds a sign outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Signs lie on the grass in front of Strong Hall on the KU campus on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

The discomfort may rise in the next school year as Waters’ letter to Grace Pearson residents said KU administrators expect the bathroom rules to be enforced during the next school year.

“As a part of community expectations, residents and guests are expected to abide by signs and posted regulations, including bathroom use,” Waters said in her Feb. 13 letter. “Any resident who observes an individual potentially violating housing policy within the community should report the issue.”

Waters said resident assistants and other hired staff also would be instructed to report any violations. Waters said any reports would result in a process to “determine responsibility and assign sanctions, as warranted.”

KU assigns rooms in student housing based on a student’s gender as listed in the student’s official KU record. In Kansas, having that gender changed on an official government document is legally difficult.

A spokeswoman for KU said the university didn’t have any additional comments about the Grace Pearson decision, but rather pointed to Waters’ Feb. 13 letter to residents.

While KU leaders didn’t specifically address the issue in explaining their decision to Grace Pearson residents, several students said they were sure KU leaders are worried about losing federal funding if they do not take actions to reduce diversity initiatives or other programs that the Trump administration considers “woke.” During his first week in office, Trump issued two executive orders that aimed to prohibit various diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. A federal judge last week issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts that executive order, but it is unclear whether opponents ultimately will prevail in permanently blocking the executive order.

Several students on Wednesday urged KU to take a longer, more aggressive view of the issue. Hicks has heard from multiple KU alumni who are considering ending donations to the university based on any KU pullback from diversity programs. Plus, Hicks said KU may end up losing federal funding regardless, if the Trump administration follows through on plans to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.

Hanzelka said KU should consider how many students may leave KU because of changes to diversity programs.

“If you push out all your students, what is the point of receiving funding in the first place?” Hanzelka said.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

A student holds a homemade protest sign outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Student protesters demonstrate outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Student protesters demonstrate outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Student protesters demonstrate outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Student protesters demonstrate outside of KU’s Strong Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.