A student group is drafting a resolution to submit to OU Housing and Food that would create gender-blind housing options. This resolution would accommodate students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Currently, during their freshman year, these students sometimes must live with people who they do not identify with or who do not approve of them because of their identities as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

The resolution would allow these students to live with others who are tolerant of them. Now, they are often forced to live with someone who is intolerant or pay more to live alone.

We are saddened it has come to this. Part of attending a large university like OU is learning about cultures that are different from one’s own. Students should come into this experience with an open mind and a willingness to meet and learn from others from different backgrounds.

But the need for this resolution shows that some students are not this open-minded. Not only are some not open-minded, but some don’t even have the common decency to respect their fellow human beings, regardless of race, income level or in this case, sexual orientation.

We hope this tragedy will someday become completely eradicated. But for now, we encourage OU Housing and Food to pass the resolution when it is completed and the group to apply urgency to completing it.

This would allow every student, including those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, to have a great first-year experience at OU. It would allow these students the opportunity to live with someone who is tolerant of them, no matter their differences.

And the sooner this happens, the better.