Many college campuses around the nation allow students of the opposite sex to live together. The University of Oregon, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of California, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California-Davis are examples of universities that allow coed housing.
At colleges that allow coed housing, people of the opposite sex are only paired with one another upon request.
The closest that Linfield has to coed housing is coed dorm halls, with each floor being separated by gender. Even in the on-campus apartments, members of the opposite gender can’t live together.
Linfield should reconsider its rules on coed living, at least for the apartments. In the real world, apartments don’t have rules about who can live with one another. Why should the on-campus apartments at Linfield be any different?
By the time Linfield students are allowed to live in the on-campus apartments, they are of at least junior status, which means that the majority of students living in these apartments are between the ages of 20-22. These students are adults and are old enough to decide who to live with. If that means someone of the opposite gender, then they should have that freedom.
One reason why coed housing isn’t always encouraged is that two people may be in a relationship and break up, resulting in them being stuck together.
While this can be an issue for some, this doesn’t seem like a valid reason to not let members of the opposite gender live together.
If a couple wants to live together, they should be allowed the option. Of course, there is always the chance that they may break up, but if they are willing to take that risk and live with each other anyway, than they should.
Moving in with a boyfriend or girlfriend is a part of growing up for many, and one can learn a lot about being in a relationship by moving in with someone.
In regard to couples living
together, homosexual couples technically already have the option to live with one another, even in the dorm rooms.
A homosexual couple living together is no different from a heterosexual couple living together. The same issues can come up, regardless of sexual orientation.
Homosexual students may feel uncomfortable living with other students of the same gender in the same way that heterosexual students may feel uncomfortable living with students of the opposite gender.
In this case, homosexual students may feel more comfortable living with a friend or friends of the opposite sex.
Besides couples living together, anyone can have a problem with a roommate. Best friends who become roommates can stop being friends.
The bottom line is that anyone can have issues with a roommate, regardless of gender. Learning how to live with another person is part of growing up.
If people of the opposite gender want to live with each other by the time they are allowed to live in the apartments, they should have that option.
-The Review Editorial Board
The Review Editorial Board
