As per the Philadelphia Inquirer, there is a new trend towards colleges offering Co-Ed Dorm Rooms
Not just a coed dormitory, or coed hallway, but the very same room.
Across the nation's campuses, a small but growing number of students are signing up to live with the opposite sex, with 50-plus colleges and universities offering coed suites and coed rooms.
This fall, at least 17 of those campuses will try it for the first time, including Princeton, Yale, and Lehigh Universities and the University of Vermont.
Typically, such "gender-neutral" housing is framed as a campus-rights issue for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students. The idea is that they should not have to live with same-sex roommates - a setting that may make both students feel uncomfortable.
But removing gender restrictions in dorm rooms has also found wide appeal among heterosexual students, who are thinking about gender relations - and friendship - in new ways.
Of course, the GOP wingnut heads are exploding, with such blog posts as this
Apparently, teens are much smarter, more sophisticated and more mature these days. Because of this some colleges and universities are allowing them to room with members of the opposite sex. (Wait, I need to stop and giggle for a minute.) I can’t even write it with a straight face. What kind of slacker parent would allow this? And how can a college board think this is a good idea? Well, I’ve compiled the following list of reasons to support the idea – I hope you enjoy.
Top 10 Reasons to Support Coed Dorm Rooms in College
- Extra income from rental of school cafeterias for student weddings.
- The ugly girls will work harder on their appearance.
- Spring break can be cancelled – totally unnecessary.
- Students will "turn-in" earlier.
- Purchase of condoms featuring school logo is tax deductible.
- Free publicity in Christian Science Monitor.
- We can have a "Cutest Baby Conceived on Campus" contest every year.
- College is tough enough as it is. Why not make having sex easier?
- Why should the gays get all the perks?
- It’s all a left-wing plot to punish young women, thereby reinforcing the argument for comprehensive sex education in Kindergarten.
Of course, the responses, as well as this blog post are horribly ignorant and are along the lines of this is the Apocalypse and so forth.
This from Boston's WCVB.
There are 20 schools across the country that already offer gender-neutral living arrangements for their students. Chang outlined those policies in a 70-page proposal he submitted to convince officials that Clark should be the 21st.
"Having a policy that bans men and women from living together -- it's a double standard because if you think about it, same-sex couples are allowed to live together already," said Chang.
"I think what it has done instead is to be affirming of different lifestyles and allowing students to have the option to live with someone with whom they will truly be compatible," said Clark Dean of Students Denise Darrigrand.
Darrigrand said few students choose the gender-blind option and men and women who are dating rarely request it. Although Chang claimed his proposal has widespread support among the 1,700 students who use campus housing, Byron James is among those who question whether it will work.
Of course, some things to remember, as per here:
ADVANTAGES TO COED DORM LIFE
* You get to live and socialize with members of the opposite sex. For many students (at least the heterosexual ones), this is an irresistible option.
* It's a helpful "real life" experience because the world isn't separated into same-sex spheres. Men and women need to learn to relate to each other, especially in the workplace, and a dorm can be good practice.
* Living with familiar men around can be a safety advantages for female college students -- or at least can make them feel less vulnerable.
* Coed dorms may offer students more housing options. On some campuses, only a limited number of residence halls are same-sex.
* Living in an all-girl or all-guy environment isn't for everyone. Some college girls find other women to be catty and would prefer not to live with a whole dorm full of them.
* Many students who live in coed dorms argue that it's not that big of a deal. Dorm life is not one big college sex party. Male and female students have the same basic housing needs-- sleeping accommodations, a place to study, and companionship. Why separate people with the same needs? After all, students are adults.
DISADVANTAGES TO COED DORM LIFE
* Having guys in the dorm may offer safety advantages to college girls, but this also poses safety problems. College girls find themselves living in close quarters with dozens of young men.
* Sexual harassment can be a big problem in coed dorms. College girls can find themselves the victim of pranks and "locker room talk" that crosses the line. Even if sexual harassment isn't going on, some college guys make girls uncomfortable with vulgarity and lewdness.
* For modest students, coed dorms are not a good idea. No, people don't walk around the hallways naked, but they do walk around in bathrobes and boxer shorts.
* Coed dorms provide lots of dating opportunities. Unfortunately, dating someone in your dorm isn't necessarily a good idea. It's kind of like living together after the first date, since there's no getting away from each other. Everyone in the hallway will know your drama, and if you break up, you're stuck with each other. There are many places on a college campus to meet dating prospects, and living in a same-sex dorm isn't going to take those away.
* A same-sex dorm can be a fun and supportive environment. Both males and females sometimes feel more like they can be themselves when there aren't people of the opposite sex around. Freshman year can be stressful enough, so if a same-sex environment sounds more relaxing, it's probably a better option.
* Some students (and their parents) have religious or moral reasons for not wanting to live in a coed dorm.
So, what do y'all think of the idea of co-ed dorms at college for today's youth?
