Arguing for the government: Meshal Shubayli

In most colleges, the option of living in a coed dormitory is not allowed. However, today more and more colleges and universities are accepting coed dorms, allowing students to live with the opposite sex.

Dykstra Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was the first coed dormitory in the U.S.

It is becoming more popular today. There are many universities that have adopted coed dormitories. CSUN should be one of those universities that have the coed dormitory system as an option to its student.

First, many college students would like to have the option of coed dorms. Many students prefer to live in a coed dorm and their opinion should be respected by the school.

Students, male and female, have the same basic home needs such as a place to sleep, study and to have good companionship. Why should we separate them when they  have the same needs? They are all students and adults, who can distinguish what is right and wrong.

People have different opinions and personalities and because of that, some people feel more comfortable and relaxed living with the opposite sex.

Second, many students would see coed dorms as a better place to live for their own comfort. Many girls would favor to live with boys because living with other girls could cause problems.

For example, some college girls find other women to be very “catty” and would not like to live in the same dorm room with them so as to avoid unnecessary drama.

Another reason women might prefer to live with men is that female students in coed dorms may enjoy not having to fight their roommate for bathroom time. It has been my experience that women generally require exponentially greater time in the bathroom than men.

Just like females have problems, males do too. Some argue that living with the same sex is more comfortable since they can be themselves when they are around the same sex. But living in an all girl or all boy environment isn’t for everyone.

For some gay students, coed dorms have become popular since some of them feel more comfortable rooming with someone of the opposite sex.

Third, coed dorms would be helpful to give students real life experience. The world we live in is not separated into same sex areas. Men and women have to learn to communicate and interact with each other.

Interacting and cooperating with the opposite sex prepares college students for future relationships.

Roommates have no choice but to interact with each other every day which teaches them how to communicate with one another. This is a situation where males and females can learn about how the opposite sex lives and acts.

Having coed dorms will give students a chance to choose whom they want to live with. Many males and females have very close friendships and they would prefer to live together.

If CSUN had coed dorms, some students who live off campus may decide to live on campus because they can live with the person they choose. If CSUN had coed dorms, I would personally live in one of them.

Arguing for the opposition: Christina Brizuela

Several universities around the U.S. have given students the option of coed dorms.

Now the question is if CSUN should institute the same option. Well I don’t believe they should allow it.

As a girl, I would find it very uncomfortable if my male roommate decides to bring his male friends over.

Freshman Tiffany Castellanos said, “it’s an invasion of privacy, especially when each one tries to dress.”

This is a major problem, especially with the freshmen class. Some incoming freshmen aren’t even 18 years old yet.

For the school to assume that they are mature enough or even responsible enough to live in a coed dorm is not smart at all.

Most of these students come from living with their parents. Most of the teenagers I know don’t even know how to interact with the opposite sex, let-alone live with them.

A major issue is the obvious, what can happen in coed dorms. Some people of the opposite sex who live with each other say that they are strictly platonic roommates.

But it is natural for two people of the opposite sex who live together to become attracted to one another. Once attraction is there, a romantic relationship can arise.

But if the relationship does not work, then you’re stuck in an uncomfortable living situation for the foreseeable future.

Many students will suggest that we are all adults and should be able to make our own decisions, but I believe many college students are not mature enough  to handle or be ready for a situation like that.

According to the CSUN dorm policy, in order for a guest to stay over past 1 a.m. you must gain approval, which regulates students in a good way.

If CSUN implements coed dorms, it would be easier to spend the night with someone of the opposite sex without any regulation.

It is important for me to stress that CSUN should not institute coed dorm rooms. It is not only about giving up privacy but also about the safety of each student.

Many campuses are trying to show that they are keeping up with new trends. But keeping up with a trend is no reason to allow coed dorms.

Teaching students how to communicate with each other can be done in many other ways than allowing males and females to live together.