A new policy concerning the University Student Apartment Community will allow gay, lesbian and bisexual couples to live in the apartments.

Past policies have restricted residency to married students or students with children.

Tom Thielen, vice president for student affairs, said students are not questioned about their sexual orientation now and will not be in the future. He said the new policy does not single out gay, lesbian and bisexual couples, but will be implemented because it “makes sense” to fill all of the apartments.

“The purpose of the policy is to adjust to the changing trends of student living” and to fully utilize the available apartments, Thielen said.

The new policy will allow any student to live in the apartments based on a priority system, Thielen said.

First priority is for married students with or without children, or unmarried students with children. Second priority is for any student at the university, regardless of marital status, if apartments are available, Thielen said.

Thielen said the new policy will hopefully be implemented by the spring semester, but probably by the summer or fall terms.

“The university doesn’t discriminate against the gay community, but we won’t write a policy around it,” Thielen said.

He said the University of Iowa has a similar policy.

At least one member of ISU’s gay, lesbian and bisexual community said he thinks the policy is a step in the right direction.

“There will be a number of individuals who will appreciate the change,” said Todd Herriott, vice president of ISU’s Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Alliance.

Herriott said it is unlikely that many homosexual or bisexual student couples will seek housing in the University Apartments right away.

“It is going to take someone with a lot of courage … to come out to an environment on campus that has not been very positive towards the gay community in the past,” Herriott said.

Herriott predicted that only “one or two” couples will express an immediate interest.

“It will take a year or two for everyone to trust the university environment enough to come out,” he said.

The new policy is a “good step forward for our community,” Herriott added. “In the past, there had been a lot of lip service.”

More specifically, Herriott said the policy will “help the university image in the lesbian, gay and bisexual community.”