Sex, Booze, and Dorms

[sedonaman]

“When it comes to gender and residence life, the hot topic in recent years has been gender-neutral housing, in which students share not only buildings or floors, but also sleeping quarters and bathrooms. But the president of the Catholic University of America went in the opposite direction when he announced Monday in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that next year, the institution will begin phasing out its coeducational dormitories.”

insidehighered.com/news/2011/06/15/catholic_university_will_move_back_to_single_sex_dormitories

 

[OrdinaryMelkite]

“When it comes to gender and residence life, the hot topic in recent years has been gender-neutral housing, in which students share not only buildings or floors, but also sleeping quarters and bathrooms. But the president of the Catholic University of America went in the opposite direction when he announced Monday in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that next year, the institution will begin phasing out its coeducational dormitories.”

insidehighered.com/news/2011/06/15/catholic_university_will_move_back_to_single_sex_dormitories

:clapping:

Should be interesring, at the very least. :yup:

 

[JimG]

Sounds like a return to common sense.

 

[gatewood1988]

It took people **this long ** to figure out that co-ed dorms were not a good idea?

 

[JimG]

It took people **this long ** to figure out that co-ed dorms were not a good idea?

I’m surprised that Catholic schools–or even secular schools–ever went for the idea. At some point the mentality arose that “well, you’re out of high school now. You’re ready to move in with boys (or girls). Just be sure to remember your morals.” Uh, yeah. And parents somehow bought into this and shelled out good money for it?

 

[sedonaman]

I’m surprised that Catholic schools–or even secular schools–ever went for the idea. …

I think it was to get the youth to jettison its moral upbringing. Parents paid for it because evil needs good in order to survive.

 

[EmperorNapoleon]

It took people **this long ** to figure out that co-ed dorms were not a good idea?

Co-ed dorms aren’t the problem. A lack of enforcement of the rules is the problem. In my experience the people responsible for enforcing the rules in dormitories (front desk staff and floor leaders) just assume, more often than not, that people will obey the rules. I cant tell you how many times I stayed in a dorm visiting my friends LONG after visiting hours were over and spent the night. As long as someone gets you in, and unless someone complains, you’re a free agent.

I’d also point out that Garvey said in the article that attempting to reduce sex and alcohol isn’t the point of this decision and any effect on that behavior by splitting up boys and girls isn’t known. I’d say that it may make it less convenient to engage in that behavior but its not going to stop anyone intent on doing it unless the rules are strictly enforced.

 

[curlycool89]

Co-ed dorms aren’t the problem. A lack of enforcement of the rules is the problem. In my experience the people responsible for enforcing the rules in dormitories (front desk staff and floor leaders) just assume, more often than not, that people will obey the rules. I cant tell you how many times I stayed in a dorm visiting my friends LONG after visiting hours were over and spent the night. As long as someone gets you in, and unless someone complains, you’re a free agent.

I’d also point out that Garvey said in the article that attempting to reduce sex and alcohol isn’t the point of this decision and any effect on that behavior by splitting up boys and girls isn’t known. I’d say that it may make it less convenient to engage in that behavior but its not going to stop anyone intent on doing it unless the rules are strictly enforced.

Floor leaders are often part of the problems. I can speak from experience; the couple years I lived in dorms the floor leaders were often part of the problem and were sometimes the drunkest person in the room. The floor leader was more like “chief partier”.

It was a social hierarchy that existed barely even in theory. It was more like politics, where people responded to your requests to do something or help out as long as you stayed popular, and ignored anything else (Clean the kitchen? They were so gross that I stepped in them only a few times, and only because the laundry was in the same room). Sure, you do have to have a friendly relationship with the people on the floor, but that was all they did: stayed friendly.