Nov 05, 2016 12:00 PM EDT By Audri Taylors, UniversityHerald Reporter

The Utah State University will soon open its dorms to accept overnight visitors of the opposite gender, provided that they are registered and are able to get permission from the roommates of the resident. According to a report by the Salt Lake Tribune, a recent policy released states that the restriction on the opposite gender sleepovers will be removed.

In order for the guests to be allowed, the student's roommates should express their approval in writing and should be approved by the university's housing staff. However, the policy states that the guest is not allowed to stay for more than 3 consecutive days or more than 8 nights in one semester.

According to Steve Jenson, USU's senior executive director of Housing and Residence Life, the update on the policy took place in order to define the rules and to put clarity on the procedure of accepting guests in such a way that it will not cause an inconvenience to the other tenants. "The right to sleep will always take precedent over the right to socialize," he said. "This is not to encourage people to bring guests. It's to make sure we know who is in the building and that there is proper approval."

A USU student journalist Alyssa Roberts first reported on the new policy and said that it was even hardly noticed by the students because of the fact that it has already been happening and residents have been accepting overnight guests. "People didn't really know about it unless they were residence staff," Roberts said. "For most of the students, it's not a big deal."

Jenson acknowledged the fact that the students may continue to violate the policy and may continue to welcome guests without written approval, but in the event that he receives a complaint, it will still be the written approval that he is going to ask for.

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