The Student Government Association General Assembly voted to approve a resolution of support for the Student Housing Association’s (SHA) proposal for a change in the overnight visitation policy at their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday.

SGA Attorney General Sarah Seward-Genung said the proposal was original brought to the Rules Committee before going to the General Assembly.

“There was a long discussion because it was more about the roommate agreement, which isn’t really a part of this proposal,” she said. “This proposal is just about changing the visitation policy based off gender, sex or whatever someone may identify as for staying overnight.”

The current policy for campus housing states that “any guest staying in university housing must be of the same sex as the resident.”

85 percent of students are in favor of changing the policy according to a survey conducted by the SHA. Many students say they want an open visitation policy for the entire week.

USI is currently the only public school in Indiana that has a visitation policy.

“A lot of our students are really progressive and it’s a progressive proposal so it was almost entirely supported,” Seward-Genung said of SGA’s approval.

A similar proposal was made in 2013 but was shot down by former President Linda Bennett.

40 percent of students say they would stay more at USI on the weekends if the policy changed according to the survey.

The policy would go into effect in fall of 2019 if approved.

“As for now our role in it is done, it’s just if Dr. Rochon or Board of Trustees asks for our opinion or recommendations we would say we support this new policy that they’ve proposed,” she said.