Should Dorm Rooms Be Coed?

   -Ashley Ciero

   There has been an increase in dorms that allow both genders to live in the same room. Although there is an increase of colleges having these types of rooms available, not a large percentage of students are taking advantage of this opportunity. (1)  "UC Riverside, which has approximately 6,000 students in campus housing, only 50 have roommates of the opposite sex. But the school has had the option since 2005."(2) Despite this statistic, “as students sign up for next year's room, more schools are following suit, including Stanford University.”(1)

       Many people are unhappy with this, especially parents, but most students "say the demand is mostly from heterosexual students who want to live with close friends who happen to be of the opposite sex." Heterosexual people may have a hard time living with those of the same sex as them because it may make the people in the room feel uncomfortable. (1)

Not only is it hard for heterosexuals to feel comfortable in a room with same sex students, but girls also have a hard time fitting in with other girls. Females tend to be more cliquish which makes it harder for them to make friends right off the bat. (3) “Women seem more inclined to assess the clothing of their competition, compete for attention from the men, and then huddle into small, newly formed groupings of girlfriends…cliques aren’t just a symptom of high school, but a characteristically female tendency” meanwhile “men are more adept at making friends.”(3) Some girls would want to room with their best guy friend even if they weren’t dating.

I feel that if there is a certain building and floors that have coed rooms that it would be perfectly acceptable for colleges. We are moving on in our lives and preparing for the real world. In order for us to be more prepared, I think that after our first year or two we should be able to pick who we room with, male or female, just like in real life. If students are not comfortable with this then they can live in a different building than the designated coed building. This way people can have the convenience of living on campus and the perks of living off campus in an apartment. The school also can increase the amount of people living on campus and the revenue that comes with it. I feel like this is a win-win situation for everyone. 

(2) "Coed Dorms: Sleeping Together." (online forum message). College Express. 2014. http://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/student-life/articles/living-campus/co-ed-dorms-sleeping-together/ (accessed January 31, 2014).

(1) Smith, Michelle. "Colleges are Allowing Coed Dorm Rooms." (online forum message). USA Today. 5 2, 08. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-05-02-coed-rooms_n.htm (accessed January 31, 2014).

(3) "Why Do Grown Women Form Cliques?." (online forum message). The Soko. January 2014. http://www.thesoko.com/thesoko/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=521 (accessed January 31, 2014).