The president of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. has stated same-sex dorms will be implemented among all residence halls to remedy the promiscuous actions of students. In a totally opposite direction of that decision, George Washington University has allowed dorm residents to room with anyone — regardless of gender. 
To me, both of those decisions seem a bit extreme. However, I believe neutral ground can be found that does not involve a female sharing a bedroom with a male.
Call me crazy, call me old fashioned, whatever. I think it’s a bad idea for males and females to be allowed to live together in college dorms for a number of reasons.
First of all, we know college is a crucial time. I’m a junior, and I could probably write a novel on the changes I’ve gone through since I’ve been a student. College is a time to discover yourself: to discover your purpose, your calling and to understand and mold the person you will become. I think a lot of unnecessary confusion could come from sharing a room with a member of the opposite sex. Even if you want to room with your best friend in the world who you say knows you better than anyone, men and women are just wired differently. I think you would be putting those relationships in danger by entering that situation.
Second, research shows multiple sex partners and binge drinking occur more frequently in coed dorms than single-sex dorms. I’m just going to go ahead and say people are going to do whatever they want — I don’t think abolishing coed dorms is going to fix anything.
However, I think allowing coed roommates could open a window opportunity for more sex partners and general promiscuity. Avoiding those temptations would be nice for incoming freshmen as they discover themselves.
Lastly, I’m going to stay true to my moderately-conservative roots and say living with a member of the opposite sex should be something you reserve for the person with whom you want to spend your life.
Even if you think you’ve already met that person as you enter college, don’t live with them. Give yourself time to grow and learn and experience the changes college has to bring without compromising and complicating a romantic relationship. When you’re ready to make that move, you’ll be thankful for the time spent in the beginning of your adulthood not living with a person of the opposite sex.
I spent my freshman year of college living in Sessums Hall — the girls-only dorm. When I first got my housing assignment, I was a little disappointed. I wanted to live in a coed dorm. I liked the thought of fellowship in my dorm with members of the opposite sex. Binge drinking and multiple sex partners were not on my agenda, and I certainly don’t think all the students who want to live in coed dorms desire such things.
Anyway, I wasn’t that jazzed about living in Sessums. However, about a week after I moved in, I had a quick change of heart.
I loved living in Sessums. My roommate and the girls on my hall were very friendly and we were always up to something goofy and fun. I’m sure my time living in Sessums was the only chance I’ll have to have sing-alongs in the third-floor community showers with my friends without it being weird. 
I could wander around the dorm, go to any floor and stay as long as I wanted. I didn’t care if they saw me at my best or my worst. There wasn’t a wall of tension in certain situations that can be created with a male’s presence. There are plenty of other personal freedoms I could mention that go along with living in an all-girls dorm, but I’ll spare you the details. I’m sure people can argue with me that they know a guy who doesn’t get freaked out by a female’s personal hygiene, and that’s awesome, but I think it’s safe to say that’s something a guy may not want to deal with during his freshman year of college.
I do disagree with the idea of getting rid of co-ed dorms that separate sexes by hall or floor. Many people who have experienced community with males and females in a residence hall should be able to continue.
Even with the risk of partaking in multiple sexual encounters or heavy drinking, I think coed dorms could do more to help fix those situations. I think it would be wise to enforce overnight rules and alcohol policies — perhaps as a residence hall — educating students about the dangers and risks that come with sex and alcohol. But getting rid of coed dorms all together won’t solve anything. Like I said before, people are going to do whatever they want to do.
I hope students, especially entering freshmen, think carefully about the decisions they’ll make regarding where to live and with whom to live.
Not rooming with a member of the opposite sex could be a decision that will be a huge step in paving the way toward good choices in college.
Mary Chase Breedlove is a junior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].