Alright, I know my title could have had a boy asking a mom but I tend to remember TV shows depicting the fathers as being a tad overprotective of their “little girls” when it came to their first date. Well, now parents have can one more thing to worry about when little Jonny and Sally go off to college, should my child have a roommate of the opposite sex?
The Associated Press is reporting that
Columbia University will begin allowing men and women to live the same dorm room. Columbia University has traditionally been a more liberal leaning institution so this arrangement does not seem to bother many within the student body. One male student responded, “Yes, absolutely” when asked if he would consider living with a girl that was his friend. He repeated that response when asked if he would live with a female that wasn’t a friend. Similar answers were given by female students when asked the question with regards to male roommates.
The main force for this new dorm life is to make
gays and lesbians “feel more comfortable” according to the reporter. The reporter did ask a gay male student his thoughts and he said, “I would feel more comfortable living with my girl friends then a my guy friends”.
Not all student’s agree with the change of policy on dorm living. Sada Ruffin commented, “I think allowing coed roommates you (Columbia) is condoning a certain behavior”. The only exception to the new gender neutral building is incoming freshman.
Columbia is not the
first college or university to offer gender neutral housing. There are roughly thirty Higher Ed campuses that provide this type of living ,with Harvard allowing it if the student identifies themselves as transgender.
A question to my fellow bloggers:
1) Would it bother you if your son/daughter asked to live in gender neutral room with the opposite sex?
An ending thought:
1) Nowhere in the piece did the reporter even ask homosexuals IF they felt uncomfortable on the Columbian campus so I wonder if this isn’t a move by some campus to bring enrollments up.
2) Since the student is legally an adult is it up to the college to determine who they can and cannot live with it? I could see the parents stating their opinion if they are paying the tuition and rightfully so.
Kyren--Wow...So is this what the colleges of the 2000's will become?? What is interesting, in answering your questions, is that I find the answers to be different for myself (28 right now, but thinking back a few years...) as compared to when I think about for my daughter.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I would, in a college dorm setting, rather live with a female but know of several of my peers (both male and female) that would have answered differently--and not in a "destructive behavior" kind of way. In such cases, I guess I just couldn't imagine the college allowing it but if were to, I guess I wouldn't judge on that, knowing that for such a privilege, there is some sort of ___ in place?!?!
Now for my daughter, I say "No Way!". :) In such an argument, I think that hard science supports the idea that "adult" may mean 18 years of age but in psychology, the human brain is proved to be undeveloped in terms of judgements, etc until mid-20s.
I can certainly understand your opinion in that such a move may be a strategy to boost enrollment.
This is going to be an interesting thing to watch! Thanks, Mindy
Kyren,
ReplyDeleteYou always find the most interesting topics to blog about. I had not heard of any colleges or universities allowing neutral gender dorm rooms before.
Personally, I would not want it for myself or for any child I might have. I believe that there is some real bonding that goes on between roommates, sometimes, and not to say that a male and female won't bond and forma great friendship. However, we put them in a situation that is unhealthy if we allow males and females to live in the same room. Like you stated a person's brain is not fully developed until the mid 20s. By that time, most people are out of college. Our college years are to help us grow and mature. Colleges and universities should not be adding that kind of pressure to us or our kids.
I think it is fine to have co-ed dorms but leave them in their separate rooms!
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Mindy and Kim,
ReplyDeleteThanks for always visiting my blog. I will keep an eye. You both make some great points and I have to agree with you. Best of luck with the project.
I love this idea! If I had my druthers when I was in college I would have with out doubt roomed with guys instead of girls. I roomed with 3 of my female friends and am no longer friends with any of them. It was very difficult to live with girls and friends. I tell my present students to NOT room with their friends. It is the best way to kill a friendship. I suggest they room in close proximity to friends, but to branch out, meet new people and keep old friend ships.
ReplyDeleteI found it strange that Columbia was mainly saying it was to make homosexuals feel more comfortable. That seems odd. But I am all for the co-ed dorms. With strict rules of course. But what the heck. It is the 21st century, why not. But I think you are right saying parents would definitely have something to say about it if they are paying for the college tuition.
Interesting idea.
I have enjoyed reading your blogs over the semester. Good Luck to you!
Elizabeth Haraseth
This was a very interesting topic. I have not heard of colleges doing this. Similar to Mindy I have mixed feelings on this. I'm 26 and in college I lived in a co-ed dorm so I had male neighbors but I had female roomates and it was so much fun! I have very many guy friends and it was fun to be able to live close to them and not have the curfew rule of no boys after midnight. I don't think it is a good idea to allow female/male studnets to share an actual room though. I can't really give reasons why it isn't "right" because college students are adults, I guess I just can't picture this major change. Students who want to live with the opposite sex could move off campus so I don't think the college has to make these changes. Now with this being said I would easily live with some of my guy friends over a girl right now. I just think groups of girls living together can get ugly.
ReplyDeleteI do think that parents would have problems with this and it could possibly be a reason that parents don't want their child to attend a certain university so I think it is a bold movement for universities.
Great blog!! You have had some very interesting blogs this semester...great job!
This idea really doesn't bother me. Then again I don't have children and I had a gay roommate during undergrad. I would not feel comfortable with a stranger of any sex in my room which is why I always knew my roommates. As long as Columbia is not forcing the students to stay with someone they are uncomfortable with I really see no problem.
ReplyDeleteGood Blog