Texas Christian University may cancel plans to designate some on-campus apartments for gay students and their supporters.

The DiversCity Q community was to open this fall in a section of the Tom Brown-Pete Wright apartments on campus.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender students and allies — heterosexual classmates who support them — would have had the chance to live together. Eight students had committed to the community so far, said TCU sophomore Shelly Newkirk, who applied to create the program.

TCU was also planning to open two Christian-based living communities, another for fine arts and three other themed housing arrangements under its living-learning communities program.

But the university announced Monday that it will now “review” requests for any new living-learning communities.

“TCU will not launch any new living learning communities at this time,” TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr., said in a statement. “Instead we will assess whether the concept of housing residential students based on themes supports the academic mission of the institution as well as our objective to provide a total university experience.”

This year’s living-learning groups are expected to remain.

They include the Leadership and Strengths Community for students who want to become leaders, the Green House for student interested in the environment and the Health and Wellness Community for students interested in healthy living.

TCU’s decision to allow DiversCity Q sparked a nationwide debate and conversation on blogs and Web sites.

By Gene Trainor / McClatchy Tribune