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Coed dorms have been common on American college and university campuses since the 1960s. But as the Los Angeles Times reported, the latest trend on college campuses is the mixed gender dorm room. Yes, this means that male and female students are sharing the same room. So, does this mean male and female students will be assigned randomly to be college roommates? No; these so-called "gender-neutral dorm room" arrangements are voluntary. Some of these arrangements are being chosen by gay and lesbian students; a gay male student, for example, might choose to live with a heterosexual female friend. Other mixed-gender roommates are platonic heterosexual friends. Mixed-gender rooms also gives heterosexual couples to option to live together. So are coed dorm rooms a good idea? Here are some advantages and disadvantages of this new living arrangement. Advantages of Coed Dorm Rooms One advantage of mixed-gender dorm rooms is that this gives students more options for finding a compatible roommates. It can be a real challenge to avoid roommate conflict and to find someone who's easy to live with. Moreover, some women get along better with men, and some men get along better with women. For some GLBT students, gender-neutral housing may be ideal. The same-sex roommate model assumes the two roommates don't have the capacity to be attracted to one another. Mixed-gender dorm rooms means that GLBT students can have the equivalent roommate relationship with an opposite-sex heterosexual friend. Others argue that mixed-sex dorm rooms simply aren't that big of a deal. College students are adults and can make the decision to live with whomever they like. And students have been living with opposite sex roommates in apartments for years. Disadvantages of Coed Dorm Rooms Critics of coed dorm rooms argue that this living arrangement exacerbates the problems that come with all coed dorm living. Some students just aren't mature enough for coed dorms, where promiscuity and sexual harassment can be issues. (Here's more about the pros and cons of living in a coed dorm.) One problem with living with an opposite sex friend is modesty. While same sex roommates don't usually parade around naked in front of each other, they do get glimpses of each other's bodies upon occasion. After all, a dorm room is pretty small. Unless heterosexual friends are comfortable with this degree of intimacy, changing can become an issue. And for a female student, sharing a room with a guy means probably means he'll be seeing her undies, tampons, birth control pills, and other "girlie" things she probably doesn't share with her guy friends. For heterosexual friends, one problem with this arrangement is that expectations sometimes changes, especially when living in close quarters with someone. if one roommate suddenly sees the other as more than "just friends," suddenly there's an awkward situation. This can also be an issue for GLBT students who live with straight friends. Sometimes, the straight friend may feel like a couple more than the gay friend would like. For couples, this may be a fine arrangement – unless there's a breakup. And for couples who do stay together, sharing a small dorm room may not be the best place to move a relationship to the "living together" stage. Dorm rooms leave no room for personal space, and that can be hard on a relationship. in addition, dorm hallways are full of gossip and drama, which isn't the best environment to have a relationship. So are coed dorms a good idea? Clearly, this arrangement isn't for everyone. For some students, though, living with an opposite sex roommate may be an ideal situation. Students are thinking about this arrangement should carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages.
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