A stall and a urinal stand side by side on the third floor of Sackett Building, divided by a single plastic partition.

Both the female and male bathroom symbols are painted on the door leading students and staff of either gender inside.

According to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Web site, there are more than 37 unisex restrooms all over the University Park campus.

Although anyone -- students, families with children, people with disabilities -- may use these rooms, they also serve the purpose of providing "safe places" for the transgender community of Penn State, said LGBTA Student Resource Center Director Allison Subasic.

"Someone whose gender is ambiguous won't be harassed," she said.

The Web site also has an incomplete list of unisex bathroom locations across the commonwealth. The center's goal is to post at least one location on each campus, she said.

However, Allies members are extending their efforts beyond the classroom buildings.

"While a student may feel comfortable using the bathroom while in class, what do they do in their residence halls?" Allies Vice President Benjamin Holsinger said. "Students who do not identify themselves as either male or female on this campus should not be forced to go into a bathroom that might not match with their physical gender appearance."

Allies representatives have spoken with the Office of Residence Life to encourage them to be more inclusive of the LGBT community, Holsinger said.

Residence Life Director Diane Andrews said although all of the common bathrooms in the residence halls are gender specific, Penn State does offer some semiprivate living options. These include single bedrooms with bathrooms that are located throughout the campus, and the 800 apartments in Eastview Terrace.

Bill Mahon, Penn State spokesman, said it has been decades since the current residence halls were built.

"When we go through renovations, the issue [of unisex bathrooms] is likely to come up," he said.

Mahon said Penn State recognizes the various uses for such bathrooms and the shifting trends toward privatization in dormitory living.

"When the residence halls were built, students tended to come from smaller homes where they often shared a bedroom," he said. "[In this decade], students will have a roommate for the first time [when coming to Penn State]."

The university will try to accommodate the need for privacy in the future, he said.

Subasic said other universities across the country, like New York University (NYU), are also making an effort to establish unisex facilities.

The next time NYU's University Senate meets, members will "recommend that all new construction incorporate gender neutral bathrooms," NYU spokesman Josh Taylor said.