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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Tuesday, December 23, 2008 9:49 PM CST
University of Chicago to allow co-ed dorm rooms next semester

By the ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO (AP) — Beginning next month, the University of Chicago will allow male and female students to live in the same dorm rooms.

The school sent a letter to parents last week informing them of the decision. The school says it was a student-led initiative that isn’t aimed at romantic couples. However, the school says couples won’t be banned from asking to be roommates.

Nationally more than 30 campuses allow co-ed dorm rooms.

The University of Chicago program is called open housing, and it will not include freshmen. Students do not need parental permission to participate. The school says students will not be assigned mixed-gender housing. Instead it’s on a request basis.

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Rotty wrote on Dec 23, 2008 12:42 PM:

" I wonder if co-ed showers will be optional? "

gringa wrote on Dec 23, 2008 7:12 PM:

" Excellent question, Rotty.

My question is: Is there something didactic gained by having co-ed rooms? What a great way to spend taxpayer dollars - more social experimentation at the college level. What a brilliant idea! "

Lurker61920 wrote on Dec 24, 2008 6:43 AM:

" Wow! What a wonderful idea....abortions are going to be on the increase! Something is very wrong with this picture....... "

Beaches wrote on Dec 24, 2008 12:08 PM:

" Lurker61920
More abortions? Do you think because they can't "officially" room together that they aren't? Please, that statement was a bit ridiculous. "

medic57 wrote on Dec 24, 2008 2:47 PM:

" The school says it was a student-led initiative that isnt aimed at romantic couples.

BBBWWWAAHHHAAAHHHAAA

I remember the first time I walked through Stevensen Hall at EIU, my eyes were messed up for a week.

Please, that statement was a bit ridiculous. "

Was it? "

lefty wrote on Dec 25, 2008 3:40 AM:

" GRINGA, University of Chicago is private. "

I Care wrote on Dec 25, 2008 8:04 AM:

" The school saves money in the long run by doing this. Now less campus police are needed or whoever polices the dorms trying to keep the other sex out. "

medic57 wrote on Dec 25, 2008 8:45 AM:

" lefty

Yes, what a great institution, the people that gave us The Bomb. "

pj1983 wrote on Dec 25, 2008 8:57 PM:

" i see absolutely nothing wrong with this. they are adults, they should be able to choose who they want to room with. some people are more comfortable with people of the opposite sex. they're paying for the opportunity, so why not let them room with whomever they want? "

gringa wrote on Dec 25, 2008 8:58 PM:

" You gotta be kidding, lefty! In this country, very few things are "private" anymore. Take a look at the tax code and then tell me University of Chicago doesn't receive significant taxpayer assistance.

They have $6.5-billion in their endowment, but somehow they're still tax exempt. That means they don't pay taxes; you and I pay their taxes for them. You still think they're "private"? "

gringa wrote on Dec 26, 2008 10:15 AM:

" PJ, the reason we should not allow them to room with whomever they want can be summed up in two words: community mores. Perhaps it's an old fashioned idea, but the concept has been successful in our nation for over two hundred years - well, up until the 1960's anyway, when community mores (and morals for that matter) seemed to have taken a back seat to instant gratification.

Does your moniker shed some light as to why you don't seeem to "get it"? If you were born in 1983, perhaps you have never been exposed to the advantages of personal constraints and self control. Would you also see nothing wrong with faculty members shacking up with an "adult" 18 year old student? "

pj1983 wrote on Dec 27, 2008 6:45 AM:

" no gringa, that would be inappropriate because the faculty member is in a postion of authority.

"perhaps you have never been exposed to the advantages of personal constraints and self control" you're absolutely right, gringa. because i'm 25 i'm all about instant gratification and getting what i want when i want it and i don't want to have to work for it, i want it handed to me on a silver platter.

we're talking about 19, 20, or 21 year olds here. as hard as it may be to believe, they're not all hormone driven sex-fiends. members of the opposite sex can be just friends. some of the other articles i have read on the subject specifically bring up homosexual students. a homosexual male may not be comfortable rooming with a straight male and be more comfortable instead with girls. also, many siblings attend the same university. with this policy in place, they could now room together. it does have it's advantages. "